oops, i (fake) love you
by ThisIsAwesomeness1825
Summary: Percy has been crushing on his best friend, Rachel for months now. But his lack of experience with dating and almost zero flirting skills prevent him from asking her out. However, a fortunate timing and handy swimming skills land him an opportunity to get the girl of his dreams. That is if he can persuade Annabeth Chase to teach him the ropes of flirting by fake dating him.
1. i Percy

_i. Percy_

* * *

Okay. So here's the thing. Percy has been crushing on his best friend, Rachel for months now. A year even.

His friends know about it. Their friends know about it. Everyone knows about it. Except for her, apparently.

He's spent countless hours pining after her, wishing that for just one moment, she'll wake up from the fog surrounding her head and see that Percy Jackson likes her.

Not as a friend, but like, _like_ like.

You get the point.

"Hey." A fries flies out of nowhere and hits Percy right in the middle of his eyes. Or more appropriately, the middle of his glasses. Jason looks unperturbed with his glare as he picks up another fry. "Stop _mooning_ over her."

"I'm not mooning over her." Percy picks up the fry that unfortunately hit him in the face and eats it. It's still clean anyway. "I'm just observing."

"Observing, my ass."

Another person hovers and sits beside Jason. Grover looks pretty casual with his crunches today, and an enchilada hangs from his mouth.

"Grover, please tell him that I'm not mooning over Rachel," Percy says.

Grover looks unapologetic and shrugs casually. "Sorry Perce, but you really are mooning over her."

"It's not mooning! It's just admiring."

"Sounds pretty the same to me."

Percy lets out a defeated huff as he outstretches his arms on the table. He casts a longing glance on Rachel's direction, hoping that she'll look back. But she never does.

"I'm never going to get over her, am I?" he mutters to himself.

"Why don't you just ask her out, Percy? And see what happens from there," Jason suggests, much like his all previous suggestions when Percy gets into moping phase like this.

To be fair, Percy has thought about it. Constantly thought about it in fact. He has once envisioned himself being cool and collected as he tries to sweep Rachel off her feet and into his arms. He'll stand by her locker and calmly ask her out for a dinner in their favorite place together. Then, she'll beam brightly at him, saying that this was something she's been waiting for all day long. And of course, the resounding yes.

Thinking about what to do and what to say is easy. Putting them into action, not so much.

See, Percy has always had difficulty in believing in himself. Although his mom's reassurances are more than enough to supply the confidence level of the world, Percy still can't help feeling that dread that he'll never be enough. He'll never be smart enough in school, he'll never be fast enough in swimming, he'll never be good enough for his mom—all these thoughts are what diminishes Percy's confidence to almost a zero. Add to the fact that he never had any experience when it comes to dating and girls (aside from that quick peck from his neighbor in a truth or dare game back in middle school), these severely reduced his chance in scoring a date with a girl, and a pretty one at that.

So, Percy sulks quietly and internally admits defeat that he'll forever pin after his crush and remain in the friend zone for as long as he's smitten with Rachel.

"If I ask her out," Percy begins, still staring as the light hits Rachel's hair, making it seem like her hair's on fire, "I'm just gonna get turned down."

"That's right. You'll have no chance with her because you're a loser," a new voice says. Percy doesn't even need to turn his head to see that there's a sneer on her otherwise annoyingly pretty face.

Annabeth Chase.

One of Goode High's popular IT girl. The smart and beautiful student that's part of almost all academic clubs, and still manages to participate in track. And maintain a near perfect GPA. That one girl every high school girl in Goode aspires to be, and for high school boys to date.

Also, Percy's old friend turned rival in his mythology class.

"Yeah, yeah." He turns around and smirks at her—the kind that he knows sends her blood boiling. "Tell that to my 100."

Her face contorts to a grimace, and her grey eyes dull for a moment. "You just got lucky."

"Two times in a row? My, my, you must be getting rusty, Chase." And because Percy can't help it, he adds, "When are you going to _chase_ me?"

Annabeth doesn't look delighted by his play of her last name, but she smiles sweetly at him, the force of it almost strong enough to knock his breath over. "Listen here, Jackson. The only thing getting rusty here is your lackluster flirting skills. How can you score a girl when you can't even manage to put yourself together?"

Percy flushes but tries to hide his reaction from her. God, he doesn't need Annabeth tormenting him about his crush. "Who says something about scoring a girl?"

"Don't make me laugh, Jackson."

"Well, if you haven't heard, I'm not a clown."

"Beats me. I thought you were going to school to be laughed at by everyone."

"At least I'm not the one eating dust from all the chasing you're doing after me."

"Hardy har har," Annabeth says as she rolls her eyes at him. "Just because I'm being generous, let me give you a tip."

"Oh, what a generous day is it for Miss Chase," he mutters sarcastically.

Annabeth points on Rachel's direction. "I know you like her."

Percy chuckles, amused. "Oh, really? I didn't know."

"You may act indifferent all you want, pretending like you don't care, but the honest truth is, you'll never get her, with you being the loser you are." Annabeth grins, wickedly. "And unless you step up your game, you'll forever be watching on the sides, pining after the girl whom you know will never like you back. And I'll love to see that happen."

With that, she struts off, leaving him glaring after her in annoyance.

He almost forgets that he's eating with Jason and Grover, because he's so absorbed with their heated argument until—

"Dude," Jason says.

"Dudeee," Grover repeats after him. "Were you just bantering with _Annabeth Chase_?"

Percy shrugs indifferently. He prefers the word argument, but he'll still accept banter.

Jason stares at him, wide-eyed, his blue eyes unblinking. "You mean _the Annabeth Chase_?"

"Yes," Percy answers, his brows scrunching into a frown. "I honestly don't see what's the great deal about—"

"Oh my God, she's so hot," Jason mutters, looking at the direction where Annabeth has taken off. He turns back to face Percy, "And she talked to you for more than 10 seconds!"

Grover nods his head so fast Percy thinks he might get a concussion. "Consider yourself lucky, Perce."

"Didn't you hear that she just insulted me in front of you, guys?"

Both of his friends pat him on the back, trying to act sympathetic. "You know, we love you Perce for who you are. We love your clumsiness and an unhealthy obsession with all things blue."

"Even though you suck sometimes, we still like you to hang out with us," Grover adds.

"But Annabeth is right. You do need to step up your flirting game." Jason picks up another fry and points it at himself. "If I were a girl, I wouldn't consider dating you."

"That's very comforting," Percy comments, straight-faced. "But if you're a girl, I wouldn't even consider asking you out, thank you very much."

"Whatever. At least consider what she said about your non-existent flirting skills."

A wide grin splits Percy's face. He turns back to Jason and Grover, who are both looking at him weirdly.

"I think I have a plan."

* * *

A/N: Okay so I know I mentioned that I will write something along the lines of royalty with a dash of selection au, but I just got really hyped by this idea. And I also realized that I haven't had a fake dating au yet so here it is. [Title inspired by 'Oops' by Little Mix]

I'm sorry about being inactive for so long (although I doubt anyone is missing me). Anyway, this is the first chapter which I know is kind of short, but this will increase in length as we go on with the story. (hopefully!).

Please review if you want to see more! Also follow me on tumblr if you want to see some fanart and talk to me: thisisawesomeness1825


	2. ii Percy

_ii. Percy_

* * *

Percy does have a plan. He knows when to step up to a challenge, and surely he won't go down to Annabeth's taunt without fighting. Even though he hardly knows what he's doing, he wants to show her that his flirting skills are very much on par with hers and that he can have a date with Rachel at the end of the school day.

So as soon as he gets home from school, he immediately starts up his computer, all the while imagining the look of rage on Annabeth's face once she sees his skills. He's going to enjoy her misery, and he'll be extra happy with a date, too.

But before he can get too far on his imaginations, he needs to do his research first. As soon as the browser loads up, he types 'how to flirt with a girl' and clicks on the first link.

 _6 Easy steps on Flirting_  
· _Be confident_  
· _Groom yourself_  
· _Give her a compliment_  
· _Get to know her_  
· _Tell a funny story_  
· _Spruce up on some flirty messages_

'This seems easy,' Percy thinks. And before he can doubt himself, he types, 'how to properly groom yourself'.

* * *

"What," Grover exclaims as soon as he sees Percy's figure on the hallway. Percy likes to think that his look of bewilderment is a compliment.

Bewilderment, huh? That's a new word.

"What are you wearing?" Grover repeats. His eyes are so wide and his mouth is open like a gaping fish out of the water.

Percy nervously smooths his sweaty hands on his trousers out of habit. He wants to scratch the back of his neck and the itch near the small of his back—he severely underestimated the itchiness of this woolen sweatshirt he pulled over his baby blue button down—but he figures that it will not be the least bit dashing to Rachel, or any girls for that matter.

"Clothes," he mutters at last.

"Yeah, yeah I see that." Grover hobbles over to him, peering at his face warily. "You're not on any substance, are you?"

"No, of course not," Percy says. He fights the urge to run his hands through his hair as that would mess with the wax he put to tame it. "I—I've just been, y'know, _grooming_."

A sour look passes on Grover's face like he can't comprehend what he's hearing. "Grooving? You mean like the dancing they do on the 80's?"

"I said grooming. That's the thing you do to look presentable."

"I know," Grover mutters. He leans back as far as his crutches allow him to, and squints at Percy, "You look presentable but, weird. It's so weird seeing you like this."

"You're just not used to it," Percy mumbles absently, as he looks around the hallway. "Rachel, doesn't have track practice this morning or does she?"

"You don't look used to it, either. And no, as far as I know, your lady didn't mention any practice today." Grover leans back on the lockers and looks at him. The wild brown curls peeking under his Rasta cap have gotten longer and fizzier, and the goatee he sports is thickening to a bush like that of a goat's, but Grover has never been different to the boy Percy has always called best friend since he was 12. He is the same old Grover who has gotten in trouble with him for the past 4 years yet still remains to be a true friend till now.

"This day's the day?"

Percy leans back on the locker beside his best friend. "Yeah, I mean, I hope so."

"What brought the courage?"

"You'll never believe it but the determination to prove Annabeth wrong gave me courage. And I figured that I really need to start stepping up my game on this dating thing."

"So, that's why the grooming?"

"Yeah. That's why the grooming."

* * *

His first attempt to meet Rachel by the lockers turns out to be a failure. She did have a track practice that morning, which she forgot to tell them the day before.

But Percy retreated and regrouped his strategy, and by the time the bell sounded for lunch, Percy is waiting by the door of Rachel's math class.

The hallways thicken with the crowd that are eager to get to the cafeteria, and Percy gets pushed a little towards the door where he bumps with—

Oh dear. Bless his luck.

"Jackson?" Annabeth mutters, incredulously.

He only manages a timid smile on her, because well, he can't be snappy when Rachel is walking just behind the enemy.

"Rachel! Hey, over here!" He waves at her and pointedly ignores the glare Annabeth sends him.

Rachel's green eyes go wide with recognition and surprise as she spots him standing near the door. "Percy!"

When she goes near him, she does a quick double take. "You look... different," Rachel comments.

He nervously pushes his glasses at the top of his nose and tries to look casual. "Well, I just tried something for a change."

And as an afterthought, he asks, "Do you like it?"

Rachel beams at him and nudges his side playfully. "You look nice as always. But, I liked how you fixed your hair."

"Thanks," Percy says through flushed cheeks. "Uh, I used a brush and some wax."

"Someone finally taught you what a brush is?"

"Yeah, I guess," he answers. Then, in a shy voice, he says, "You look pretty too."

"Thanks, Perce. You've always been such a nice friend," she says. Percy determinedly ignores the sharp pain in his chest when she says the word, 'friend'. To put salt in the wound, he catches Annabeth's eyes across him, who has evidently heard snippets of their conversation.

Rachel glances at him, curiously. "Were you waiting for me outside the class?"

"Uh, yes. I was thinking that since we're both going to the cafeteria, we might as well go together."

She nods, distractedly. "Yeah, that's a great idea."

As they walk through the hallways, Percy mentally crosses out some of the steps for flirting. He'd already done the first four steps so that only left the last two which are: (5) tell a funny story and (6) spruce up on some flirty messages.

Okay, step number 5 here we go.

"Um," Percy clears his throat, and he turns to Rachel, "You know how Chase is in one of my classes?"

"Annabeth? You mean, in your mythology class?"

"Yeah. So we got our test results back yesterday, and I got a 100."

She grins at him. "Really? That's great!"

"Annabeth got second place and she was so mad you could literally see smoke coming out of her ears." Percy laughs when he recalls the annoyance and outrage flashing in her eyes and the way she'd snapped at almost anyone who dare come her way. "She looked like a bull ready to charge towards anyone. It was so funny."

He laughs yet again at the image his mind conjures: Annabeth dressed like a bull, and growling at everyone. In his mind, he's holding a red cloth while waving it frantically at Annabeth, and she continuously chases after him but she can never seem to catch up. He'll have to tell her this sometime.

Percy only stops when he realizes Rachel isn't laughing with him. Looks like step number 5 is another failure.

He thinks it's probably best to not talk about a girl who is your enemy to a girl you're crushing on.

But Percy won't let this spoil his chance of winning a date.

"So..." Percy glances at her shirt, a mix of hands and feet in different colors of paint splashed on white cotton canvas. "I like your shirt. It's very—uh," he trails, forgetting the next line in this pick-up. _Was it cottony, or friendly or_ —"it's made of a very _artsy_ material," he says instead.

Girlfriend, that's it. _It's made of girlfriend material_ , not artsy material.

"Thanks," Rachel says. "I was worried it'll look too shabby or messy in general. Did you know that I just did this design last night?"

"Really? I didn't know."

"Of course, you don't. That's because I didn't tell you until now." Rachel grins and looks up at him quizzically. "Are...you going to say something? 'Cause you definitely look like you're gonna say something."

With the attention now focused on him, Percy shifts and fumbles anxiously with the hem of his itchy woolen sweatshirt. "Uh, well. I was wondering if you'd be up for a movie night—"

"Rachel! Percy! Over here!" comes Piper's high-pitched voice which just shatters Percy's illusion of peace and confidence.

They easily maneuver their way towards their friends, who are now scattered all over the table. Percy greets them all with a grin and a wave, promptly forgetting that he has just nearly asked Rachel out on a date.

"Woah, hey! Is that spit on your hair, Perce?" Leo remarks as Percy takes his seat beside Grover.

"Fuck off Leo," Percy retorts as he meets Jason's astonished look. "What? I just used some brush and a wax, nothing really dangerous."

"You do know that wax is a flammable substance right?" Piper adds, unhelpfully.

"What—oh, no. Don't you dare come near me, Valdez!"

"Shut up, you rowdy boys!" Rachel says, teasingly. She brings her gaze back to Percy. "So, what were you saying Percy about a movie night?"

By now, all person in the table has gone quiet while anticipating his answer. It isn't really a secret that everyone in their friendship circle knows about Percy's crush on Rachel. They'd seen him mope around in one way or another (although not as often as he mopes with Jason and Grover), and have constantly encouraged him to take a leap of faith. However, they could have been more helpful in his case by not making him more nervous than he is.

"Um, I was just asking if you want to have a movie night this Saturday...," he pauses, and everyone has their mouth hanging in anticipation as he tries to gather courage but, "...together with our friends?"

Everyone almost visibly deflates like a helium balloon, except for Rachel, who still keeps beaming. "Sure. Saturday night it is."

A heavy silence falls upon the group. Rachel glances around the table, perplexed. "Guys? Is there anything here you aren't telling me?"

Finally, Piper, who understands the situation, stands up with so much enthusiasm she nearly falls off her chair.

"Oh look, they actually have my favorite pudding," Piper exclaims as she latches onto Rachel's arm. "Come join me, Rach." Then she drags her friend towards the cafeteria counter.

As soon as both girls disappear from hearing range, Jason turns to Percy. "So, that was your plan?"

"You mean—"Leo gestures to Percy's overall being, from his hair down to his shoes, " _this_ was his plan?"

With his head in his hands, Percy grumbles out, "Don't make me look bad. I feel bad enough as it is."

Leo, at least, looks apologetic. "Sorry, man. I mean, you _brushed_ your hair. That's a great step."

"He called it grooming _,_ " Grover pipes in. "That's a different thing. C'mon, look at his clothes."

Jason's eyebrows scrunch together as he eyes Percy's itchy woolen sweatshirt. "That's a nasty looking sweater. Looks itchy."

"Yes, well it is very itchy."

"Why don't you get rid of it then?"

Percy vaguely wonders why he didn't get rid of it in the first place. Then he remembered step number two. "I thought I looked good in it," he admits.

Grover sighs and pats Percy's back. "C'mon, Percy. You were nearly there. Cut yourself some slack."

"Yeah, dude. Fixing your hair, trying to dress nicely—that's already a lot."

"You were so close to it already. Give it a few more tries," Jason says.

Percy, despite the failed plan, smiles. "Thanks guys for cheering me up."

"You could have chosen a cheerleader if you want someone to cheer you up," Jason retorts. Percy answers him with an eye roll.

"Oh hey, look! There's Chase breaking another heart," Leo comments, and their heads turn towards a commotion in the corner.

A boy with a box of chocolates and letters in hand is talking to Annabeth, almost pleading, judging by the way he looks at her. She's trying to create distance between the unlucky boy and herself, all the while talking about how she's not ready for a relationship and whatnot. The boy looks visibly disheartened, much like Percy feels at the moment, but Annabeth is calm and almost stone cold with her emotions.

"She's such a heartbreaker," Leo remarks as Annabeth now exits the cafeteria, leaving the poor guy standing alone in the corner.

"Well, boys certainly do come flocking to her," Grover says.

"Darn," Jason mutters and looks at Percy, "Perce. If you only have half the charm Annabeth has, you won't even need to worry about having a girlfriend. Girls will come flocking to you."

Leo puffs out his chest dramatically. "Much like me, you mean?"

"The only thing that flocks to you is trouble, Leo," Grover adds.

"Eat your enchilada, Goat Boy."

Percy's only half-listening, thinking of the new idea that now brews in his mind.

Flocking and charm, huh? Little did Jason know that he just gave Percy the best idea for a new plan.

* * *

A/N: So you get a dash of one-sided Perachel, which surprisingly was easy enough to write. But Percabeth fans, don't fret, all will come in good time. Anyway, now that Percy's plan have failed, he gets yet another idea from Jason. And you'll see what that is on the next update.

So, I'm planning to find a consistent update schedule, but I still really don't know about the frequency. I'll just try to write as much as possible during this brief term break, and see where it gets.

I also hope that you're getting excited with the story as I am, because I am excited. I've briefly created a plot outline, and I'm still trying to add more. Please do review and tell me what you think!


	3. iii Annabeth

_iii. Annabeth_

* * *

Annabeth doesn't really know how she went from a nerdy, prepubescent girl to one of the popular, smart and athletic students at Goode High.

She reckons it has something to do with her being a transferee on her second year of high school from a private all-girls school in California to a passably decent school like Goode High. The mystery of the sudden transfer created quite an uproar in the school plus her outstanding academic achievements, caused her to rise on the ranks of the school's social ladder in a span of almost a night.

In all honesty, Annabeth doesn't really care about these ranks at all. All she wants to do is to attend a good class, learn from her teachers, ignore her annoying classmates, and forget about the fact that her dad is now building a new family of his own, excluding Annabeth.

But what she gets instead is an eyesore like Drew who has evidently swore to make Annabeth's life a living hell, an armful of annoying boys who can't get a hint that she doesn't want to date, and a top place in the social ladder that she really doesn't want to be a part of.

Plus Jackson. Of course, never forget Percy— _let's-ignore-I-used-to-be-friends-with-Annabeth_ —Jackson, who went from an old childhood neighbor/best friend to a class enemy real quick.

All of these things, despite giving her constant headaches, are what gives her boring days quite a charm and lets her ignore the fact that she's now being replaced by Susan and the twins in her dad's life. It definitely hurts a little (okay, a lot), but she has learned how to manage her emotions and her pain; so every time it happens it only feels like a finger accidentally touching a hot kettle, and not a hand being doused in boiling water.

All in all, she thinks high school is treating her okay, up until she goes back to her house.

As soon as she opened the door to their house, Annabeth's ears are quickly met with booming cackles and heavy thumping of footsteps from her step-brothers. There's also Susan's voice shouting for the kids to lower their voices and a bunch of other random sounds that makes Annabeth's head pound. But before they can even see her, she quickly bolts up the stairs to her room. She passes by her dad's study room and knocks thrice before opening the door a little.

"Dad, I'm home," she says to him. He only grunts in acknowledgment, his eyes still focused on the papers in front of him.

Shrugging his lack of response, Annabeth walks towards her room and then—

"Aw, fuck," she grits out when she accidentally steps on a stray Lego piece. She scans the floor to see several Lego pieces scattered randomly near the door of her room.

It takes all of her patience to not scream bloody murder. The Lego piece actually feels like a fuc—fudging small knife stuck on her foot, and she briefly considers cussing out the twins, taking them into a deserted road and leaving them for good. But then she decides that they're not worth it. They can play pranks on her all they want but she won't give them the satisfaction of getting her angry over petty things.

Also, she doesn't need a murder and kidnapping case on top of her already growing stressors.

Remembering her lessons from her yoga class, Annabeth takes a deep breath, counts 1 to 10 and holds into the ring sitting on top of her collarbone. "Breathe," she whispers. "Breathe."

Then she enters her room and drowns herself into finishing a week's worth of homework.

* * *

It's already 30 minutes past 8 when Annabeth finally comes out of her room. She has only managed to tear herself away from her laptop when her stomach had finally grumbled out its demand for food. Glancing at the clock, she's surprised to see that it's already past dinner. That means she no longer has to see the little devils and suffer an hour of awkwardness with Susan and her dad.

When Annabeth goes down to eat her dinner quietly, she discovers that there's no food left on the fridge. She searches the cupboard and the oven but to no avail. Disgruntled, she turns to head back to her room to order herself some pizza when the front door creaks open. Her dad's and Susan's voices flit towards the dining room, together with the twins' boisterous laughter. They're all dressed up like they had just come home from a fancy dinner in a restaurant nearby. Which explains the lack of leftover food.

They had a family dinner. Without her, apparently.

Immediately, an immense sense of anguish fills her empty stomach. She feels like there's hand holding her throat; squeezing and choking until she's nothing but a quivering mess.

Standing in their kitchen, she feels like a stranger. She feels like an outsider looking over a picture of a perfect family. But insert her into the picture, the cracks start coming and the image of a perfect family shatters into fragments.

Just then, her father notices her standing awkwardly in the kitchen. He walks inside and fiddles with his glasses as he stands in front of her.

Fredrick has always been an eccentric man. He knows a lot of things about history and war planes, and can tell you the breakdown of the events during World War I and II, but has a bad habit of not paying enough attention to other things that matter more than books. As a young child, Annabeth thought of him as her mentor and protector, and a man with a brilliant mind ready to take over the world. But then he slowly slipped away from her grasp as he worked longer hours, failed to prepare food for them, and forgot how to be a father to Annabeth. He is a brilliant man, but he was not ready to be a father.

"I-uh. We thought you weren't home," Fredrick says. "We took the twins to dinner."

"I was doing homework in my room." She doesn't even tell him that she went to his study right after she got home. It's better not acknowledging the fact that he forgot about her.

"Oh, okay. Here, um," he reaches into his pocket for some cash. He hands her a couple bucks with a sheepish smile. "Buy yourself some food."

Then he awkwardly bids her good night and retreats back to his room. Susan and the twins go back into their rooms without so much a glance in her direction.

Annabeth doesn't bother to go out or order some food for her dinner. She figures she can't eat when there's pain choking and filling her chest anyway.

* * *

She isn't surprised to see Percy Jackson's face in the morning. They are, after all, part of the same mythology class that she attends every 8 in the morning. She's familiar with that smug grin he always has on his face, and his unruly black hair that begs to be brushed.

What she doesn't expect is him standing before her desk with that determined look on his face.

"What?" she barks. She doesn't really want to deal with his antics at this time of the day, and after what happened with her dad last night.

"Annabeth Chase," he begins. He adjusts the frame of his black specs. "I need your help."

"You're kidding, aren't you?"

"No. I really need your help."

Annabeth huffs and turns back into her book. She can get another chapter done for her book review if she'll start reading now. "You must be out of your mind if you think I'll help you."

Percy sits on the chair opposite hers. He normally sits somewhere near the back, but since they are the only students present at the moment, nobody dares to tell him off. "I need you to teach me how to charm a girl."

She drops Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Surely, she must have heard him wrong. "What?"

"I need you to teach me how to flirt," he says, straight-faced.

"If you're joking Jackson, I need you to stop right now."

"I'm not joking!" He then looks down and fiddles with his hands. "Okay, so yeah you're right that I do have a thing for Rachel. And I want her to be my girlfriend. But first, I'll need your help."

"That's sweet Jackson. But I don't think that I'm the right person you need for that."

"Uh, yeah you are."

She rolls her eyes and continues reading. "There's Drew," she suggests with clenched teeth.

"Um, I need a girlfriend, not STDs."

"You're very funny."

"I try," he says with a sheepish grin.

She resists the urge to smile. He's not very funny at all. "Okay. How about Silena?"

"You do realize that she has a boyfriend, right? Beckendorf would beat me up once I go near her!"

"Calm down, okay. Look, I'm sorry but I no longer have candidates in mind who can help you with your problem."

"That's because you're the perfect candidate!"

Annabeth sighs. He's very determined, she'll give him that, but she'll have to drown first before she'll say yes. "I'm very flattered that you think I'm perfect, but no, I can't help you, Percy."

"Not even when I say I'll let you trash talk me without retorts?"

"Tempting, but no."

He drops his hands in his lap and sighs heavily. "Fine. Thanks for hearing me out, at least."

Then he stands up, goes back into his seat and does not make any remarks until the class ends.

* * *

Lunch is much worse.

Annabeth has just ordered her lunch and is going back to her table when a body just appears out of nowhere and slams into her. Her food spirals into the ground, but she catches herself with an extreme amount of balance.

Drew stands near her, her hand placed near her chest. There's an apologetic look on her face, but her eyes tell a sarcastic remark. "Oops, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there."

"Oh, that's probably because of your fake eyelashes. You know, they kind of poke your eyes," Annabeth retorts.

The cafeteria stops. Everyone watches, their mouths hanging in anticipation for a cat fight.

Drew reaches into her pocket and throws a bill at Annabeth. "There, take it. You probably don't have enough to buy yourself another lunch."

"You're so generous, but I can buy myself another lunch, thank you very much," Annabeth says. She bends down to pick the bill and hands it over to Drew. "Here. I'd hate for you to lose your make up just because you don't have enough to pay for them. After all, they do the job of covering your hideous personality."

"Well, at least I didn't have to cover my messed up family," Drew taunts. Annabeth stiffens and glares as Drew realizes she struck a nerve.

"Oh, it seems I'm right. What is it? Mom and Dad paying not enough attention, or maybe—" Drew catches sight of the ring sitting on top of Annabeth's collarbone. She eyes it.

"What's this? A ring? Who's dumb enough to give you a ring?"

"That's none of your business," Annabeth says quietly.

"Yeah?" Drew smirks and yanks at the necklace. Then she pockets it. "But I can very well make it mine."

Annabeth clenches her teeth hard. She hates this bitch with all her being.

"Take it. See if I care," she lies. _She cares for it_ _so, so much_. But she has to reign back her emotions, pretend that she doesn't care.

"Well, you said it. This is mine." With that, Drew struts off back to her table.

 _Shoot, shoot, shit._

Her mother's ring now is gone.

God, Annabeth really hates herself sometimes.

* * *

Water is something Annabeth can't understand. Most of the time, it is a beautiful sight to behold: calming and endlessly blue. And when the sun strikes the water just right, it gives it a strange, sparkling glow that gives the impression that precious diamonds are scattered all over its depths. During these times, Annabeth wants to wade in, to surround herself with water until she can no longer see past the blue waves. Until she can no longer hear the noise of the city.

But other times, it is a violent beast: raging and destroying things that come across its path. It destroys life and leaves no survivors behind.

The pool in the school premises right now looks like the former. The water is bluish but clear, and the refraction of light makes it seem shallower than it actually is. Even though Annabeth knows better, it doesn't really reassure the thundering of her heartbeat against her chest.

She peers through the water. There's no sign of the ring and she can barely make out the tiles at the bottom of the pool. She really hopes that what Piper said was right.

 _A girl with unevenly cut hair leans onto the locker next to her. "Drew threw it into the pool," the girl says._

" _Excuse me?"_

" _Your ring. I saw Drew threw it into the pool."_

 _Annabeth lets that information sink in. The pool. She can go there after school hours. She glances at the mysterious girl still hanging by her locker. "Why are you telling me this?"_

 _The girl shrugs. "That ring looks important. And I also want to annoy her."_

" _Thanks," Annabeth says gratefully. "What's your name?"_

" _I'm Piper."_

" _Annabeth."_

Hesitantly, Annabeth dips her toe on the pool. The water isn't that cold to give her hypothermia, but still cold enough to give her shivers. Then, she starts lowering her right leg on the pool ladder.

Slowly, she climbs down until the water is at level with her neck. By now, her heart is trying to jump out of her throat, and she just wants to forget her mother's stupid wedding ring and climb out of the pool.

' _Climb out, climb out, climb out,'_ her mind says.

Just as she's retreating from her mission of finding her mother's ring, her right foot slips from the railing and her grip on the handle loosens. Then, she tumbles into the water.

 _Dumb, dumb, dumb! What are you thinking, going into the pool knowing that you can't swim?_

Her hands flail out, and water quickly fills her lungs. "Help," she thinks she shouts. "Help!"

Her eyes burn—and something dark seeps into her vision until it all fades into nothingness.

* * *

A/N: So I really didn't like how this chapter turned out. There's a lot of line break and too many scenes for one chapter. There's supposed to be another scene right after this one, but I decided to move it into the next chapter. This was the reason why I took so long to update. But we do get Annabeth's POV, and with the turn of events, everything is now set in motion.

[NOTE: I updated the rating from a K+ to T, because there will be some swear words every now and then.]

Please don't forget to review because these push me to write more! And follow me on Tumblr for some fanarts: thisisawesomeness1825

Lastly, thank you to _SPQR-Alan, AnnabethGinevraJacksonPotter,_ johncahill _, and Guest_ for reviewing! Your means so much to me!

Also, school starts on Tuesday (Pacific Time) and that greatly reduces my writing time. I plan to write as much as possible, but please review to remind me to write!


	4. iv Percy

_iv. Percy_

* * *

Percy loves swim practice. If he's given the chance, he'll just probably swim all day, lounging in the water and not at all worrying about school work. It's probably the best sport created if he has anything to say about it. So he's not at all bothered that he gets tasked to clean up the pool after swim practice, in exchange for an extra hour or so of pool time.

Practice usually ends in two hours after the official school dismissal, and he usually stays for an hour taking extra laps or basically just lounging in. Which is why he's used to the silence that comes after taking a shower—most students are out of the school by now. Only nerds like Annabeth Chase would want to spend the free time in school.

However, when Percy comes out of the shower room freshly showered and dressed, a cry and splashing noises greet his ears. His eyes immediately land on the pool, where there is a person flailing their arms around. _Drowning_ , he thinks. _Someone's drowning._

"Help!" the person cries.

Like a switch flipped open, Percy quickly runs to the pool and sheds his Goode High swim team hoodie. He dives in and swims as fast as he can, and holds the person's body with his right arm. His legs propel harder and faster, with only one arm to support his strokes.

Upon reaching the pool corner, he hauls the body to the side. He arranges the person's—who is apparently a girl—hair away from her face so she can cough out the water in her lungs. And lo and behold, Annabeth's pale face greets him once he has dragged the wet blonde strands away.

He's momentarily shocked; staring at the face of the girl who used to be his best friend. Then an internal Percy kicks his butt awake, and before he knows it, his hands press against her chest and pumps. _Fast but firm_ , he repeats in his mind. _Steady and calm_.

Once, twice— and water sprouts out of her mouth. Annabeth jolts awake and coughs incessantly to get rid of the water in her lungs. She bends over and thumps at her chest, where some of the pool water gets spit out. Her red-rimmed gaze lands on him.

"Percy—"

And suddenly, something inside him snaps.

"What are you thinking, Annabeth? Why would you go to the pool when you don't know how to swim? Don't you know a lot of people die because of drowning? Are you risking your—"

Without warning, Annabeth's arms reach out to him and tackle him in a hug. He stumbles back a little in surprise, but he quickly winds his arms around her once he realizes it isn't a fluke. Annabeth is really hugging him.

"Thank you," she whispers earnestly.

He tentatively pats her on the back. "Hey, you're alright. Just don't do it again, okay?"

"Okay."

Percy removes his arms around her and crosses it on his chest. His eyes stare at her, unblinkingly. "Now, tell me the reason why you would do such a reckless thing?"

Her gaze drops down and avoids his own. "Don't mind it. It was stupid."

"It's obviously something when you risked your life for that reason."

"It's nothing."

"I don't believe you."

"Percy."

"Annabeth."

She huffs and glares at him with those stormy grey eyes. He wonders why others felt the need to shy away from her gaze when he finds it nothing but marvelous. She looks like a queen staring down at her subjects; regal but dangerous.

"Fine," she mutters. "Someone said that Drew threw it into the pool."

"Threw what?"

"The ring that she stole from me." Annabeth hugs her knees to her chest. "It was my mother's wedding ring."

"Oh," he says for lack of a better word. He doesn't bother asking why she has her mother's ring. He might've saved her but they are still far from close friends like they used to before. "So that's why you went into the pool?"

"Yeah." Annabeth groans and puts her head in her hands. "Saying it aloud makes it even more stupid."

"Not really. I probably would've done the same," Percy says with a smile. "Did you get it then?"

She shakes her head. "Just as I was going to back out, my foot slipped from the ladder and I tumbled into the water. Next thing I know, my lungs are being filled with water. And it burns—like a torch is placed on my chest."

"And then I came," he continues. "I mean like, I came into the pool—no, that's as bad. I mean I went out and saw you in the pool." He covers his face with his hands. "God, this is embarrassing. I hope you don't think I'm making sex jokes or something."

Annabeth, for the life of her, just chuckles while he wallows in his embarrassment. "Don't worry. Nobody really thinks that it was an innuendo. It was just you and your guttered mind."

 _And she even has the gall to smile!_ Percy thinks.

"And then you wonder why you can't have Rachel to notice you," she says through a grin.

He fixes her a feigned glare. "Careful, or I might just throw you again into the pool."

She just smiles and shrugs. It makes him want to grab her shoulders and shake her silly.

Brushing that crazy thought aside (Percy wonders why he even thought of that), he stands before the pool and scans it curiously. "Someone said that Drew threw it into the pool?"

"Yes." Annabeth peers at him warily. "What are you planning to do?"

"So here's the thing. I'm going to look for it, and you're not going into the pool no matter how long I stay down, okay?" he says to her as he picks a towel from his bag. He throws it at her. "Take that and dry yourself."

She holds the towel tightly in her hands. "Will you be okay?"

He flashes her a big grin. "You're talking to the swim team captain, Chase."

"Hey—!"

Percy doesn't hear the rest of her sentence because he already dove into the water. Momentarily, he lets himself lose in the feeling. The water moves with him, and he feels like he's one with the water. Then, he opens his eyes and swims further until his palm reaches the tiles at the bottom.

He looks around him, trying to find a glint of light. Finding none, he swims again and looks around. A brief flash of gold catches his eyes. _Gotcha_ , he thinks. He moves towards it, takes it into his palm, and breaks into the surface of the water.

Once he gets a clear view of his surroundings, he spots Annabeth looking at him. Throwing her a smirk, he says, "You owe me one, Chase."

"Did you find it?"

He hoists himself out of the water and walks towards her. "What do you think? Hand me over that towel, and I'll give it to you."

She eagerly throws the towel in his face, and he hands over her mother's ring. A genuine smile flits into her face. Percy finds himself smiling back.

"Thank you," she says again.

"You're welcome," he responds.

Silence fills the air for a moment. Strangely enough, he doesn't find it uncomfortable. Maybe it's because they've already been in this place before. He feels calm in her presence, like a body reuniting with an old soul.

He rummages through his bag and finds an extra shirt. He nods at her. "You might want to change out of your clothes. They're still wet and you might get sick. Here's a smaller shirt, if you want to change."

He picks up his hoodie and throws it at her. "Take this too. In case you're still cold."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asks.

"I'm not being nice. I just don't want you on my conscience if you die of pneumonia," Percy says with a shrug.

Annabeth frowns but takes the shirt and hoodie from him anyways. "I can't die of pneumonia that fast. Besides, there are medications."

"Whatever. Just change."

"What about you? Won't you be cold?"

"I'm used to this weather," he says. He gestures at her, "You, on the other hand, are not, California girl."

She rolls her eyes at him. "I think you're forgetting the fact that I used to live in New York."

"I don't. But that was a long time ago."

She doesn't say anything for a few beats. Percy wonders if he offended her in some way until she speaks again. "Percy, about owing you—"

He chuckles and leans back on his arms. "No. Don't mind that. I was just joking."

"But I want to repay you."

"Seriously, it's nothing. I'm glad I helped you. That's all."

"Okay. Well, this time, think that I just want to help you," Annabeth says.

"Annabeth. Really, it's no problem—"

"Earlier, about asking me to help you win a girl, well, I'll help you now."

He sputters. _Finally_ , Percy thinks _. I can finally have a chance_. But then he quickly shuts down the thought. It would be unfair for him to get what he wants just because he helped Annabeth out. Every normal human being would have done the same. It shouldn't be fair to take advantage of this. "No, that would be unfair. I just did what any person would do," he says.

"Then, what if I have a condition?" she asks. "If I say I want to help you how to charm a girl in return for teaching me how to swim, would that make it fair?"

"I guess so."

"Then that's it! I'll help you to become more desirable to Rachel and any girls for that matter, and you'll help me learn how to swim. Agree?"

Percy shrugs. He wants to appear indifferent but internally, he's jumping up and down in excitement. It's like an early birthday present. Who's to say that maybe, by the time his birthday comes, he and Rachel can now go celebrate it as a couple? "Fine," he says casually.

"Deal. Let's shake it?" Annabeth asks as she extends a hand to him.

Rather than shaking her hand, he hooks his pinkie with hers and shakes it. "Pinkie swear is always better," he answers with a grin.

Once again, Annabeth rolls her eyes. "Let's make our plan tomorrow."

"Sure." Percy nudges her to the shower room. "Go change already. If you die because you're stalling, that won't be my fault anymore."

"Well, then stop talking to me." She says as she walks towards the shower room.

"Chase?"

"I thought I told you to stop talking."

"I just need to ask one thing."

"Yes?"

"How will we plan tomorrow? Are we going to meet in class tomorrow or—?"

"You'll see."

"Fine," Percy mutters under his breath. "Annabeth?"

"What now?"

"Take care of that hoodie. That's my favorite."

He doesn't hear any more replies, so he picks up his bag and leaves. Before he knows it, a grin makes its way onto his face.

 _Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough._

* * *

Percy didn't know what he was expecting, but certainly, it isn't Annabeth waiting for him outside the doors of the school.

He has just come out of the class and is walking together with his friends when he spots her standing near the stairs. She's wearing his swim team hoodie, which now looks obviously too big for her, judging by the bunching of the sleeves. In her arms are a few folders, but she carries it almost effortlessly. Looking at her now, Annabeth almost resembles an adorable little kid. Which Percy doubts are something she wants to be associated with.

When he and his friends were now outside of the doors, Annabeth's gaze immediately lands on him. She walks over and greets him, "Percy!" Quite gleefully he might add. Which is a stark contrast to the silent treatment he received from her earlier in their mythology class. He has almost thought that she gave up on their deal when she hadn't made a move to acknowledge his presence.

This now, however, startles the heck out of his friends. Leo juts his side quite painfully. "When did you become friends with her? I need the details," he whispers frantically. Jason's gaze flits back and forth at them, while Grover's looks at him, wide-eyed. Even Piper looks a bit shocked. The only one who seems to remain in her senses is Rachel. She sends a small smile and a wave at Annabeth.

 _Ah, right_. Percy remembers now. _They're teammates in track_.

"Hey. We're going to your house today, remember?" Annabeth says to him. She just smiles at the rest of his friends, who still look a little dumbstruck.

"We are?" he asks abruptly, not aware of the arrangement. Annabeth throws him a sharp look, which immediately prompts him to correct what he said. "Uh, yes we are. I just forgot."

He turns back to his friends and scratches the back of his neck, shyly. "I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Yeah, we'll see you tomorrow, Perce."

Then Annabeth snatches his hand with hers and holds it. The suddenness of the action causes him to stiffen visibly. "What are you doing?" he whispers frantically at her.

She turns her head to look at him. "Holding your hand."

This action seems to make them appear closer to each other, add to the fact that Annabeth is holding his hand.

Leo calls out to him, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Mortified, Percy looks back at Annabeth. "They're gonna think we're dating."

"That's the plan."

"I thought we're just going—"

"What did you expect? A learning material or something?" She looks him up and down. "You're near hopeless. What you need is a hands-on tutor."

Red tints his cheeks. "Hands-on? Are you saying we're going to—"

Her gaze flits back to his face, which is now a poor impersonation of a tomato. Understanding fills her eyes, then she shoves him, hard. "God! Get your mind out of the gutter. That wasn't what I meant."

"Okay," he breathes in relief. "Then what did you mean?"

Annabeth shakes her head and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Obviously, you can't be Prince Charming in just one lesson. You will need practice."

"And?"

"And you'll have to practice through me. You can only do that when everyone thinks we're dating, so it won't be suspicious."

"So, we'll have to fake date?" Percy asks as he gestures between the two of them.

"Exactly." She leads to him to her car. "Get in. We still have to go to your house."

"Wait. You're serious about that?"

"Did you think I was bluffing? How else are we going to plan for it?" Annabeth places her seatbelt in and reverses the car. "Do you still live in the same place?"

"Yep." He remains quiet for a moment, admiring the view of the passing houses. Then he turns back to her with mirth in his eyes. "Is that why you wore my hoodie today? So, they'll assume we're dating?"

Her gaze remains fixed on the road. "No. I was cold."

"Really, eh?" he teases.

"Shut up."

"I think that's why you wore the hoodie."

"If you don't shut your mouth this instant, I'm going to throw your ugly butt off this car."

Percy does shut up. Knowing Annabeth, she doesn't give threats without meaning them. She once kicked a boy's balls in their grade after said boy did not get the hint of staying away from her. He knew then that Annabeth is a woman of her word, and he better believe her.

But even that is not enough to stop the smile spreading on his face, ear to ear.

* * *

A/N: Finally! We have reached the beginning of their fake dating journey.

Classes are back and I have a hard time inserting writing time in my schedule. Add to the fact that I'm doing my final thesis for undergrad studies (wooo yay!). Anyway, this was supposed to be longer (tbh, this whole chapter completed only 3 events out of the 7 I planned that's supposed to happen), but I decided to cut it here so it'll not be too overwhelming.

Thanks to **johncahill** for the review last chapter, and to **It'sBeenALonggDay** for reminding me to update.

Also, if you can, please drop a review. I love reading your feedback! Every single one of them makes my heart melt and puts a smile on my face every time.

See you next time and stay tuned (hopefully)!


	5. v Annabeth

_v. Annabeth_

* * *

Annabeth doesn't know what she expects, but her eyes still widen with surprise as she sees the familiar neighborhood she had once been part of. It feels almost like dream; like she's traveling back in time where everything was okay and life was pretty easy. She longs for the days when there were no screaming fights and talks of divorce; days when there were only playdates and spelling bee nights with her parents.

"You still live in the same neighborhood?" she asks as she turns to Percy. Her grip tightens on the steering wheel as memories flash back when she passes the old playground they used to frequent when they were kids. A lot of it is still the same; the rusty swings, monkey bars, and the bumpy slides, except these are now well-worn with rusts and chipped paint.

"Yeah. Same house, same place. Nothing's really changed," he says.

 _Except us,_ a bitter voice in her mind says. She kind of agrees to it.

 _Nothing's really changed except us._

Strangely enough, her throat doesn't close up on her like a chain has been fastened to her neck. What she feels, however, are pin pricks of disappointment and longing for the past that could've been their future.

Whatever. Their relationship now is merely defined as two classmates conniving for their mutual benefit. Annabeth doesn't need to worry about him being her friend.

Five minutes later, she pulls up to the Jackson's little driveway. Then she's staring at the door she used to hold a key to. To be honest, she thinks it a bit surreal.

She turns to Percy. "Is Sal—is your mom home?"

"Y'know you can still call her Sally. And no, mom is still at her job in Sweet America."

"She's still at Sweet America? It's been five years now."

"Yeah. She got promoted to a manager."

"That's really great!"

"I don't think so. She doesn't sneak candies for home anymore," Percy says as he closes the door behind her.

"No more blue jellybeans and gummy bears?" Annabeth jokes absent-mindedly, her mind still catching up to the changes around the house. She doesn't think she'd seen that cactus plant before. Her eyes glance back to see Percy staring at her.

"I didn't think you'd remember," he says.

"It's—" She starts, but stops herself. How does she say that this is one of the things she remembers absentmindedly? _No. She doesn't have to say it._ "I still see you eating those during lunch."

"I don't know if I should be glad that you hate me enough to pay attention to those things," he comments, jokingly.

Annabeth shakes her head at him. "Don't be." She gestures to the space between them. "This arrangement between us, this doesn't make us friends, okay?"

Percy shrugs and tucks his hands to his jeans. He nods at her. "Okay, sure."

"I'm glad that's understood." A silent moment passes. "Can I see your room?"

"I think you know where it is." Annabeth stares at him, expectantly. Percy stares back.

"Okay. That was supposed to be your cue to lead me to your room," she says as she crosses her arms. _Ugh, he can be so annoying sometimes._

"To plan?"

"Yes, to plan."

"Oh—okay," Annabeth hears him mutter as he leads her to a room on the right wing.

Oddly enough, a lot of it stayed the same—the trophies from the local swimming competition collecting dust, the faded navy blue colors of the walls filled with posters some she used to know, and others she didn't. There were frames too; photos of him when he was a baby, on his 6th birthday, and a lot more with his mom. There were some too with her, back when she was still so naive—so disillusioned about the reality of life. Annabeth chooses to ignore those.

In between the spaces, she sees the new things in his life she isn't privy too. The blue hairbrush she's half sure isn't Percy's, Save the Earth pamphlets sticking from the leaves of an old math textbook, and some photos of him with the people she always see him eating lunch with (plus some worn t-shirts and _boxers!_ on the floor that he not so subtly kicked out of sight. Good thing she managed to master her poker face, otherwise she would've turned into a firetruck).

There are some things that stayed the same, but a lot of it are new to her. If a part of her feels sad, she doesn't show it.

Percy scratches the back of his head, looking sheepish. "Sorry, it's messy," he mutters under his breath, embarrassed.

"When are you not ever," Annabeth comments offhandedly and takes a sit on the messy bed. Then she takes out her bag and pulls out the sheets of paper she'd just printed earlier. If they are going to do this fake dating thing, then they are going to do it right. She isn't just going to pass a half-assed homework, no matter of what kind.

"What are those?" he asks.

She picks up a piece of paper and hands it to him. "I've drafted a contract for this fake dating agreement. Basically, we follow all the rules in this contract otherwise, the agreement is terminated."

Percy stares at her warily. "You mean, we follow _your_ rules?"

"You can add some of your own. And then if you don't agree with some, we can discuss it here."

* * *

 _Fake Dating Agreement_

 _The parties undersigned agree to follow the rules laid out in this contract. A violation of one leads to termination of the agreement._

 _Rule 1: No sex._

 _Rule 2: No cheating, despite the relationship being fake._

 _Rule 3: Neither of the parties should disclose the agreement to others._

 _Rule 4: No feelings should be involved._

* * *

Annabeth startles when she hears Percy laugh. "What's funny?"

"Why did you even include the last rule? I'm pretty sure we don't have to worry about that."

"I'm just making sure you don't develop any feelings for me. I can't have you running after me once this thing ends."

"You're funny, Chase." Then, he signs his name on the space provided for him. He gestures to the papers lying on his bed. "What's on the rest? Surely, it's not another contract."

"Lesson plans," she answers with pride, as she lays out the papers in front of him. In a bold, Cambria 12 point font, the words "Fake dating lesson plans" are printed on the papers, and underneath it, "Lesson 1: Grooming."

Percy looks at her incredulously, like she'd just sprouted two heads. He picks up the papers in disbelief. "I thought there aren't supposed to be learning materials since this is gonna be a hands on approach."

"Yeah, it is hands on, but we need a guide. This is important in monitoring your progress." Her hands dig into her bag for some more papers.

"Progress? Do I also get a report card or something?" he asks, sarcastically.

Annabeth raises her eyebrow at him. _Did he not think this through?_ "As a matter of fact, yes."

"Seriously?!" Percy sits up so fast she worries he might get a concussion. But then she remembers that he has a thick skull.

"Mhmm. You get points depending on your practical exam, and I'll give you a grade for your performance."

"You're kidding me, right? A practical exam?"

"Yes. It's a test on how well you can execute the things I'll teach you. Basically, it's just like going on a date with grades as part of the requirement."

Huffing, Percy reaches for a paper on his bed. "I didn't know dating has to be this hard."

"Well, you've got to exert some effort if you want to win the girl. Besides, you have to practice dating me if you want to have the experience."

He cranes his neck toward her. "Huh. Do I get points if I make you blush?"

Annabeth makes a face at him. "That will be a tough requirement seeing as I hardly blush. I think it's safe to say that you'll fail if that's the case."

Percy squints his eyes at her. "What little faith you have in me, Chase. Besides, you're a tough nut to crack."

"I know. And the objective of these lessons is to win the girl over," she says with a smirk. She hands him the paper for the first lesson. "Let's get started."

"Now?"

"Now."

They stare at each other, unblinking. He gestures to the paper in his hand. "Am I supposed to read this aloud or—"

"Do you really need to wear your glasses all the time?" Annabeth cuts.

Percy frowns as he thinks it over. "Not all the time. I just need them for studying."

"Good." Then, she grabs his face and plucks the glasses away. With a quick onceover, she assesses his new look. "Now, you look more human."

"Did I look less human before?"

"More like a hooligan, yes."

He rolls his eyes at her. "It's nice to know that your mouth still doesn't have a filter—"

"Minus 10 points," Annabeth mumbles as she writes something on a piece of paper.

"Hey, wait—what?!" He takes the paper in her hands and sure, there is the -10 mark on his score sheet. "Why would I get a 10-point deduction?"

"You should know better than to be rude to a girl, Jackson."

"Hey, but you were rude to me first—"

"Additional 5 points ded—"

"Okay fine. I'm sorry for being rude."

"You're not sincere but I'll take it." She glances at his messy hair and decides that there's no way they can fix that. "Also, don't try putting on some wax on your hair. Last time you did, it was a disaster."

"I thought the wax was a nice touch."

"Wax may make your hair look good, but girls don't really appreciate it when they get the sticky substance all over their hands."

"But why would they even want to put their hands on somebody else's hair?"

Annabeth huffs impatiently. "It's just a thing we like to do."

"To run your fingers on my hair?"

"Not _your hair._ But yes, we generally do like that." She checks off a tick box in her paper: _Fix the hair._ "Don't you have other clothes aside from those loose shirts and jeans?"

Percy frowns as he stares at his dresser. "Well, I do have a couple of button-downs and some smaller shirts."

"Can I see those?" she asks. With a nod, she steps in front of his closet and makes an inventory of his clothes: a dark green shirt, a few more shirts similar to what he is wearing at the moment, various button-downs, and a couple of his washed jeans. Based on his wardrobe, she might have to accompany him some time to the shopping mall.

She takes the dark green shirt and hands it to him without glancing back. "Hey. Can you try this on for me?"

He picks it up, and she continues browsing the closet. _Hmm, maybe the baby blue button-down will work as well_. She remembers seeing him wear that once, but the ugly and itchy looking sweatshirt ruined the look. She turns to him. "Also, can you—oh."

Planes of bronze greet her eyes. Even though he has his back turned to her, that doesn't stop her cheeks from flushing as she realizes he's shirtless. She turns her back immediately before he can even register that she's seen him.

Okay. So, it's not like she hasn't seen a shirtless guy ever. It's just that, well, it's hard to reconcile the scrawny little Percy to this muscled man standing before her.

Whatever. _That_ doesn't change the fact that he's still an annoying prick who happens to be insanely good at swimming.

"I'm done. Looks like you picked one of the smaller ones," Percy says, as she turns around to face him. Well, the shirt isn't small, as he liked to believe. It just so happens that it fits his form better than the loose fitting ones he liked to wear. The dark green also brings out the colors of his eyes and provides a nice contrast with his bronze skin. To put it simply, he looks better in it than his previous clothes.

"That fits you better," Annabeth comments as she pries more shirts from the closet. "You can try wearing some of these as well."

One end of his lips move in a half-grin, as he looks at her. "That's the first compliment I got from you."

"And probably the last one if you keep that shit-eating grin on your face."

"Harsh."

"Just honest. Anyway, your closet is basically hopeless. We'd have to go and find real clothes for you some time," she says.

"I thought you hated shopping."

Annabeth scrunches her nose. "I do. But, as I said, you're hopeless."

"Your lack of faith in me is very reassuring."

The glare she sends him is enough to make him shut up.

"I think that concludes our grooming lessons for now. Next lesson would be about knowing what to say," she says, ignoring him. Her eyes dart back to the paper in her hands. "You get a grade of 20 points for now."

"20 points out of what?"

"50."

"20? Why would I only get 20? You said I looked good," Percy exclaims.

With an eyebrow raised, Annabeth starts putting back some of the clothes she'd taken out of the closet. They've only made little progress. "I never said anything about you looking good. Besides, you have a 10-point deduction, and you still have a long way to go."

Percy slumps back to his bed with a pout. "I wouldn't wish for a kid to have you as a teacher."

"If I were a teacher, I'd never wish for a student like you either," she retorts, as she picks up her bag. "And oh, before I forget, your homework is to read Lesson 2. It's on your desk."

"You're giving me homework? You're impossible."

"Also, don't forget everything you've learned today." Annabeth grins at him. It feels nice bossing him around sometimes. "See you tomorrow, _boyfriend_."

She steps out and gently closes the door behind her, but not without first hearing mutter, "Why did I even agree to this?"

Her smile widens.

* * *

A/N: Hi, I am back! I'm sorry for being inactive for about 3 months, but I've got a new chapter up. Although, I know that this isn't long enough to make up for the lost months, but I hope you liked that little banter they had and the beginnings of their first fake dating lessons. Also, I had to end it here since I think it will be better to write the next chapter on Percy's POV, which I haven't started yet.

Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter. Bye!

Thisisawesomeness1825


	6. vi Percy

_vi. Percy_

* * *

 _She's so annoying,_ Percy thinks as he picks up the paper containing the first lesson. Then, he looks at the other papers scattered on his bed. _But so thorough._

In all honesty, Percy still thinks that maybe he's dreaming, because there's no way that Annabeth is now helping him, even if this is somehow coated in sarcastic remarks and ridiculous demands (like giving him homework). When he went to ask for her help in mythology class that day, his mind was running a thousand miles a minute to actually comprehend what he's doing. Once lunch rolled out did he just realize that he really _tried_ to ask for her help. Which was probably the most embarrassing thing he has ever done.

Asking Annabeth Chase for help? _Pshhh_.

Then the events just followed, and next thing he knew, he was signing up for a fake dating agreement with the enemy. _THE Enemy_.

For a second, he contemplates not doing any of the steps written on the lesson plan. After all, Annabeth might be sabotaging his plan of dating Rachel, and instead of making him better, she might be making him worse. But then, he figures that she's not that evil to do such a thing, even if she's a little short-tempered and rude.

So he picks up the first lesson and tries to soak up as much as he can.

* * *

The next day, when Percy goes to school, he's a little afraid to admit that he's more self-conscious than usual.

He's not wearing his glasses, and the dark green shirt Annabeth suggested he wear clings to his skin more than he likes to. He doesn't really know how wearing this will make him look more appealing to the eyes, because, to be honest, he feels a little stupid.

But when he accidentally bumps to a girl from his English class in the hallway, he changes his mind.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" A voice screeches.

"I'm sorry. I really didn't see you—"

"Percy Jackson?" The girl asks suddenly as she peers at him. "From Mr. Blofis' class?"

"Uh, yeah." Percy reaches up and rubs the back of his neck since he could not push back his glasses.

Her eyes gaze at him from head to toe, then she grins. "Would you look at that? You clean up nicely, after all."

 _Did he just—did he just get complimented?_

"Um, thanks," he says, his cheeks a little flushed.

Out of nowhere, he feels a pinch on his side, and she winks at him. "If you ever need help in English, you know who to ask."

He can only muster a nod, then she's already waving goodbye.

 _Woah. That was out of the ordinary_. For all his stay in Goode, he never really got a wink from anyone (except maybe for Leo, whose eyes are always twitching, anyway).

But that? That is something new to him.

Grover sidles up to him, talking about the latest campaign his club is going to host, as Percy picks up the rest of his books from his locker. Grover hasn't seen him yet.

"Y'know, I really like this fun run drive we're hosting. I mean, I know I couldn't run because duh, crutches, but the importance of this program is—woah."

"Hello, G-man," Percy greets.

Grover squints his eyes at him. "Am I talking to the right Percy Jackson?"

"Of course. Who did you think I was?"

"Are you sure you're not an imposter or something? Y'know, cos my best friend has glasses and has this really bad style of clothing."

"I didn't think it was that bad."

"Uh, sure it was."

Nico, Percy's cousin, who happens to pass by the hallway, takes a look at him and smirks. "Hey, you actually look human today, Perce."

"Says the zombie," he retorts.

"Fuck off," Nico says, then walks away.

"I'll never understand your weird cousin dynamics," Grover comments, as he shakes his head at them. "So, is this part of your new grooming tactics or...?"

Percy tucks his hands to his jeans and shrugs. "Well, I just decided to change a few styles, and ditch my glasses. Nothing major."

"For what reason?"

"I mean, I just wanted a change from a typical Percy combination. This being a new school year and all."

"Are you sure it's not just to impress Rachel?"

"Uh, umm..," He fumbles for the next words, not sure how to phrase the fact that it is indeed for Rachel, but without revealing his fake dating ploy with Annabeth. "...actually, I've—I've moved on from her."

Grover is so surprised he loses his grip on his crutches for a second. With wide and unbelieving eyes, he stares at Percy. Then, he pokes him on the chest. "No shit man. You aren't Percy."

"You're crazy. I am Percy."

The bell rings, and any retort Grover has is lost among the noise in the hallways. Percy calls in a goodbye to his friend and rushes to his first subject. When he arrives, Annabeth is already sitting and she pays him no attention as he sits on his chair.

Huh. Looks like they're gonna be _that_ couple. Anyway, that works for him, since he doesn't have to explain much to his friends.

However, right after the class ends, instead of directly going outside the classroom, she lingers by his desk. This is no surprise for the students who are still inside the classroom since it is normal to see them arguing after class. But what sends their jaw dropping to the ground is when Annabeth gives him a bashful smile ( _bashful!_ He didn't know she was capable of faking that!) and mutters, "I'll see you later at lunch."

To be fair, Percy is quite surprised himself, and much more are the classmates who have witnessed the interaction. Thankfully, no one dared to ask him questions, but he can see the wary and amused faces of their classmates. He gives them an awkward smile which almost turns into a grimace when he sees Annabeth's smirking face by the door.

 _Ugh. The nerve of that girl._

* * *

When the lunch bell rings, he almost forgets Annabeth's little stint after mythology class. A number of his classmates have noticed his new appearance, and their positive comments have uplifted his mood for the first half of the day.

"Hey, you look extra dashing today, Percy," Piper says as she takes in his appearance. She smirks when she notices the flush on his cheeks. "Got a hot date?"

Jason, who apparently, overheard the comment says, "Psh. Percy with a hot date? Never."

Piper pinches Jason on the arm. Weirdly enough, the blonde's cheeks turn red. "Don't be mean to him. All my friends are capable of a hot date."

"Say it louder, Pipes!" Leo exclaims.

Just then, Percy's object of affections arrives in a mass of red curls. Rachel looks good today, just as she does always. She beams at everyone when she arrives at their table. "What are you guys talking about?"

"We're talking about how Percy looks dashing today, and whether he is capable of a hot date," Piper says.

Rachel's gaze focuses on Percy, and she smiles at him. "Yeah. I noticed that too."

He's so absorbed with her blinding smile that he fails to recognize the new voice that joins in the conversation, up until he feels a hand squeezing on his shoulder.

"Hey, I told you I'd see you during lunch," Annabeth says to him, and without waiting for a response, leans closer to press a kiss on his cheek.

Woah. Just what.

Seriously, a kiss? On his cheek?

The action makes him stiffen in surprise because really, he did not see that coming. However, this does not escape Annabeth's eyes as she gives his shoulder a tighter squeeze as a warning. But it seems that the Fates are on his side today since his friends are apparently too stunned to take notice of his reaction.

Really, a warning would have been nice next time.

Piper recovers quicker than the rest and stares at Annabeth like she expects her to suddenly wage war on their table. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, why are you here?"

Annabeth looks at him and smiles a little tightly. "I'm guessing you haven't told them yet?"

"Haven't told us what?" Grover asks once he swallows his enchilada.

Underneath the table, Annabeth pinches his thighs, and glances at him as if saying, 'you tell them.' He swallows down his nerves and avoids Rachel's eyes.

"Uh, surprise! Annabeth's kind of...um, my girlfriend now."

As if to prove the point, Annabeth interlaces her fingers with his, but he still stiffens with the alien feeling. This time, Rachel catches the reaction with her eyes.

"Girlfriend," Leo repeats, and he gestures to the two of them. "So, um, the two of you are dating now?"

"Yes. Believe or not," Annabeth answers with a tight smile.

"Um, cool." Leo mutters under his breath, 'I believe it not.' Jason shoots him a look. "Congrats Percy and Annabeth. I'm glad that you've, uh...put the past behind you."

"Righttt," Piper agrees way too enthusiastic. "When did this happen?"

Percy answers "yesterday" at the same time Annabeth says "last week." At this, she sends him a knowing look while proceeding to create an excuse. "So, we actually got together last week, but knowing our past, we were hesitant to take a step forward. So we waited for a while then decided to make it official yesterday."

Percy nods his agreement.

"Oh, that's...great."

The rest of the lunch is filled with a weird and tense silence. That's the only way he can describe it. Once the lunchtime ends, Annabeth bids him goodbye with a little smile and an awkward wave to his friends.

"Did that just literally happen?" Jason asks once she's out of earshot. He stares at Percy. "Seriously, you two are dating now?"

"Is it so hard to believe that we do?"

"Um, duh. Did you forget the fact that you were fighting like cats and dogs three days ago?"

"Well, bantering is our form of flirting. And besides, the more you hate, the more you love, right?" Percy shrugs with a smile. His friends just stare at him blankly.

"That's the most messed up thing you've said. Anyways, I'm going. Bye Perce," Grover comments, and hobbles out from the cafeteria. The rest of his friends also file out, muttering goodbyes and half-hearted congratulations. Except for Rachel, who remains seated from where she arrived an hour ago.

"Percy, can we talk?" Rachel asks, then peers at the area around her. The cafeteria is almost empty, but there are still some people lingering on the sides. "Preferably somewhere private."

There's a weight on his stomach, and his nerves suddenly feel on edge. "Okay," he croaks out, then follows her out of the cafeteria. She leads him to an empty classroom in a hallway that's not frequented by people.

Rachel closes the door and crosses her arms in front of her chest. There's a determined look in her eyes and a little anger that Percy really doesn't want to face.

"What are we doing here?" he asks.

"I need you to be honest with me, Percy," she says, then fixes him a stare. "Is Annabeth setting you up for this? Is she manipulating you to act as her boyfriend?"

Percy's mind reels. _What?_ He takes a moment to shake his head because he did not really expect that question. But this moment of hesitation seems to spur Rachel on.

"I mean, she may not look like it, but she can be very manipulative. And I don't want you to be at the end of her games. _She can harm you_."

"Okay, wait. No," Percy says. _This is all going the wrong way_. "Annabeth is not using me, nor is she manipulating me. We agreed to go out because we liked each other, even if it may not look like it. No one's using the other, okay?"

"But why do you freeze when she touches you? Like she's repulsive to you?"

Percy internally flinches because that wasn't intentional at all. It's an after effect of what happened to him on the past, and even though he is getting better, the muscle memory still remains. He's not ready to tell Rachel any of it, so he makes a statement that is not entirely a lie.

"To be fair, I'm still getting used to the physical touches couples do when they're together. And Annabeth's my first girlfriend, so it may take some time for me to adjust."

Rachel nods hesitantly like she still doesn't fully believe what he's saying but is willing to let it go. "Okay, fine. But are you really sure? You know you can always ask me to trip her on track practice or something if she does hurt you in one way or another."

"Right. I'll be sure to keep that in mind," he says with a smile. "Thanks for worrying about me, anyway."

"Of course. You're my friend."

This time the smile Rachel sends him feels like a knife to the heart.

* * *

"That could've gone way worse," Percy amends as he watches Annabeth pace up and down to his room. She had ambushed him yet again right after he got out of his last class, so he had to make up an excuse for his friends that he couldn't join them.

"It was the worst!" Annabeth exclaims. "They looked at me like I literally kicked a puppy when you introduced me as your girlfriend."

"Well, you were rude to me a lot of times so..." he stops talking once he sees the deadly glare she's giving him. "They were probably just caught off-guard. I mean, we just fought like we couldn't be around each other three days ago."

"Plus, we almost messed up with our inconsistent answers!" She falls back to his bed with a groan. "God! I can't believe I forgot to create a backstory."

"Good thing they're too stunned to question us properly then." Percy scrunches his eyebrows as he remembers their reactions. "But I don't think that they really bought this dating thing."

"Yeah. It was evident on their faces," she agrees. He nods.

"By the way, why are you always flinching whenever I touch you? It doesn't look good if we want to convince them that we're really dating," Annabeth asks. She stares at him, but he avoids her eyes.

"I'm—I'm not really used to physical touches," he lies. He can feel Annabeth's eyes on him, probably thinking whether to call out his BS or not, because back when they still got each other's backs, they used to touch all the time. Hugs, friendly punches, anything really.

"You never minded before."

 _That's different_ , he wants to say. He doesn't really know whether to tell her or not that she'd been right about Gabe all along. _No_ , he decides, because she doesn't deserve to know after she left him unguarded in the dark.

This time, he looks at her in the eyes. "Yeah, but you were never a stranger then."

She sucks in a breath and sits up facing away from him. "Stranger, huh?"

"You did say that we can't be friends."

"You're right." She turns to him. "But that doesn't mean we can't be acquaintances."

He raises an eyebrow at her. She does the same.

Annabeth shrugs and asks, "So, tell me something new about yourself."

"Why?"

"So we can be acquaintances and no longer strangers to each other," she answers. He contemplates this for a moment.

"I like dolphins," he says, after a while.

"That wasn't new."

"I got a scraped knee after tripping on the bushes in fourth grade."

"I know that already."

"What? How?"

"That's because I was the one who pushed you."

"I knew that wasn't an accident."

She smirks. "Come on. Tell me something new."

"You probably knew everything about me already."

"Lie. I've only known you for half of your life, and that still leaves the other half."

"Fine. I tried eating olive pizza, and I've got to admit that it wasn't as bad as I've expected."

"Really? I knew you would like it. Nobody hates olive pizza," Annabeth says with a grin.

He rolls his eyes. "I never said I like it. I just said that it wasn't that bad."

"Sounds the same to me. Anyway," she clears her throat. "As for me, I once switched a girl's shampoo for glue because she was being rude to all of us. In short, her hair became a sticky mess."

"Savage," Percy comments. "I didn't know you had it in you."

She shrugs. "Well, she was being mean. Somebody ought to give her a lesson."

"Through a sticky hair?"

"Through a sticky hair." Annabeth reaches her hand out to him. "Now that we know one thing new about the other, we're no longer strangers. I suppose this will make you less nervous?"

He shrugs. "Maybe."

She intertwines her fingers with his own. Her hand, although tanned, still looks pale in comparison to his bronze ones. This time, when she squeezes, he doesn't flinch.

"You have small hands," he comments.

Annabeth chuckles. "I don't. Yours are just long." She looks at their hands, where his fingers almost engulf her own. "To be fair, I never really expected you to grow taller than me."

"Ye girl of little faith."

"I have a lot of faith."

"Really, huh?"

"Just not in you."

"You're mean," Percy says, and let goes of her hand to pinch her.

She glares at him for a moment but slides her fingers back with his. He startles but it's barely noticeable. Yet she has known anyway.

Her gray eyes meet his. "I want you to hold my hand until you get used to the feeling, okay?"

Looking at their intertwined hands and their first civil conversation in a while, he smiles.

"Sure."

He can get used to this alright.

* * *

A/N: Hello! I had some fun writing this chapter because it's generally light and fluffy. (I LOVE writing fluff). Also, this is a 'little' longer than my usual chapter length so I hoped you appreciated that.

And I'd just like to greet everyone "Happy Holidays!" Hope you all are doing great, and please don't forget to leave a comment or anything really. I always look forward to feedback from you guys.

Lastly, don't forget to follow me on Tumblr (under the same username) for fan arts and updates

Thisisawesomess1825


	7. vii Annabeth and Piper

_vii. Annabeth_

* * *

"Okay, so what's gonna be our backstory?" Annabeth asks after she took out a pen and paper from her bag. Percy sits across her, fiddling with the loose thread of his pillow.

"I don't know. Maybe one day you wake up and you realize that I'm an awesome person after all," he offers.

"That's impossible. They won't believe that."

"Me being an awesome person or you suddenly not hating me?"

She gives him her signature glare. "Both."

Leaning her head back, she thinks about how to convince everyone with the supposed authenticity of their relationship. Obviously, it's impossible not to arouse suspicion when you suddenly date your enemy. Most people would likely think that they're onto something beyond dating, which is what they're actually doing in the first place. Nevertheless, they still need to achieve everyone's acceptance, especially Percy's friends, if they want to be successful with this mission.

"How about we just stick with the truth?" she asks. Percy looks up curiously. "I think it would be more believable to tell something that actually happened, than making something out of the blue. Then we can just tweak it up a little bit."

"That's reasonable," he says in agreement. "Do you think the pool incident would be a nice starting point?"

"Well, how would you make a story around that?"

"For a start, we'll use the same facts. After swim practice, I stumble upon you drowning in the pool, and I came to save you. Then, probably you realize that I wasn't really a 'jerk' as you initially thought," he explains, using air quotes for the word 'jerk'.

Annabeth nods. That seems like a good plan. "After that realization, we both apologized for being rude to each other. And as part of the apology and for saving me, I treated you out for dinner," she adds.

"Then, we exchanged numbers and began secretly seeing each other until we agreed to go out officially," Percy finished. He glances at her. "Do you think that's enough?"

"I suppose so. It seems believable enough." She shrugs. "Not that I'd consider doing that in real life since you're not exactly the best person to be around."

"Gee, thanks for the support."

Annabeth tucks her notes in her bag and brings out a color-coded planner with matching sticky notes. The use of different colors makes it easier for her to organize her stuff, as time-consuming it may seem. "So, when can we start our swimming lessons?" she asks. "I can't do it next week since I still have to organize the Freshman Welcoming Party, but my schedule is free after that."

His eyebrows bunch up like a confused kid. "Are you okay with meeting every Wednesday and Friday after next week?"

"Yep. That's settled then," she confirms. "Did you read lesson outline for the next topic?"

"Uh yeah? I did," he admits with hesitation like he isn't sure whether he actually read it or not. "Although, I wasn't—"

Without a warning, she moves closer to stare at his eyes. She cuts him off with a soft smile, "I like how green your eyes are. It makes me want to lose myself in your gaze."

Annabeth waits for a moment for that to sink into Percy, and the blush that appears on his cheeks makes her grin wider. "Um, thanks?" he mumbles.

"That's flirting," she says, as she leans back to her personal space. "You didn't really read the outline, did you?"

"I did! But I wasn't able to finish it," he exclaims. His eyes meet hers. "How do you do it so effortlessly?"

"Well, it takes confidence to be able to do that without stuttering. And some flowery words to make it effective. Basically, it's just like giving a compliment but with extra frostings."

"Frostings?"

"Yeah. To make it more appealing," she says. "It worked for you, didn't it?"

He shrugs, but there are still faint traces of red on his cheeks.

"Anyway, there are several forms of flirting, but that's the easiest thing to learn," she says. She crosses her arms on her chest. "Try it on me. Flirt with me."

"Um, you're...nice?"

Annabeth rolls her eyes. He clearly doesn't give the effort to do it. "C'mon. You're not trying."

His eyes squint like he's trying to find something to compliment. "Your hair looks nice today," he says at last.

Her expression doesn't change, but she supposes it is better than the last. "I guess that's better. Keep practicing that."

"Okay."

She brings up the latest scoresheet. "So, I gave you a score of 80 out of 100 today. There's still a lot of room for progress so you better step up your game."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

 _Piper_

If there's something Piper is good at, it's sensing whether someone is lying or not. And as of now, her senses are flashing red flags around Percy.

Friendship-wise, she wants to believe him. She wants to agree and be happy that he's now finally found someone—even if it is in the shape of his old nemesis, Annabeth Chase. God knows how many times she's spotted him casting longing and sad glances to their fellow friend Rachel that in a way, it makes her ache for him too. All she wants for him is to be happy, and not constantly stuck in the friend zone.

But more importantly, she wants him safe and happy, and not at the mercy of his old enemy. Piper doesn't know for sure, but she feels that there is something fishy in the relationship between Percy and Annabeth. Although they are trying to be open with their relationship, something still feels off. And she wants to figure out what.

"Hey, guys! In here," she stage-whispers, beckoning in the empty classroom behind her.

Jason, Leo, Grover, and Rachel enters after her, and she closes the door stealthily like a spy. You can't blame her for wanting to take advantage of the opportunity to be one.

"So, no one saw you come in here?" she asks. Everybody shakes their head. "That's great."

"Why the emergency meeting, Beauty Queen?" Leo asks.

"First of all, don't call me Beauty Queen. And second, we need to talk about Percy's love life."

"Well, that's interesting," Jason quips. He looks around them for a second, then his eyes widen. "Oh, that's why Percy's not here."

Piper raises her eyebrow at the amused look in Jason's face, then turns serious immediately. "Anyway, didn't you notice something strange with Percy earlier?"

"You mean, aside from suddenly having a girlfriend that he didn't tell us before?" Grover asks incredulously.

"Yeah, Percy and Annabeth's interaction certainly looked forced," Rachel says. "I confronted him about it earlier, but he denied that it was fake."

"Do you think he's lying?" Jason asks. Grover gasps suddenly. "Oh no! What if Annabeth's holding him hostage, and she makes him lie to us about it?"

"You certainly have a wide imagination, Grover," Piper deadpans. She turns to everyone. "Anyway, if Percy and Annabeth are really hiding something from us, we need to catch them red-handed."

"And how would we do that? I'm up if it involves seducing Annabeth," Leo says with a wink. "You know, girls can't get enough of me."

Piper rolls her eyes. "No, the plan doesn't involve seduction, but we need them to slip up from their act if they are indeed faking it."

"We need to probe them about their relationship until they slip up," Rachel suggests. "I'm thinking some of us would have to go on a double date with them."

"Yeah! In that way, we can see if they really are being serious or are just faking it," Grover adds. "So, who's going to pretend to be a couple?"

"They must be compatible with each other," Jason suggests. For a second, Piper sees his gaze drift to her, but that might just be her imagination.

"I'm thinking you and Piper," Rachel suggests with a shrug. "You two seem like the most compatible couple for me."

The suggestion makes Piper's cheeks flush for no reason at all. "That's not true! I can be compatible with Leo or Grover."

Leo smirks at her. "I like how you want to be my pretend girlfriend Mclean, but I think you and Jason are fit for the job."

"How about you Grover?"

"I'm in with Rachel and Leo's suggestion," Grover says. "Besides, fake dating Jason couldn't be too bad, right?"

Jason blushes to the tips of his hair. _It's adorable_ , Piper thinks. _No, wait,_ her mind backtracks _. He's a dork. It's adorkable._

"Okay," Piper agrees. "Are you okay with it, Jason?"

"Uh, um, yeah. Sure."

"Cool."

"Cool."

* * *

 _Annabeth_

 _It feels weird to be fake dating your enemy. Much more a boy she used to crush on._

Okay. There. She said it. For all that deeply buried anger and feelings of resentment, it might be impossible that there once existed a universe where she used to like Percy Jackson. Used to. The use of past tense is very important.

But before their feud, it might not be that hard to believe considering they've hung out with each other for five years. From the first time they met when they 7 on that muddy playground up to the time when they were 12 and things began to get awry, they've been practically attached to the hip. Since they were neighbors and classmates at the local school, most of their free time was spent around each other—joking, playing, and basically being a kid. He'd never left her even if he found out that girls have cooties (which is so not true), and the first round of acne began to show up on her face.

It might just be the influence of Taylor Swift's 'You Belong with Me' and other songs that were popular then, but she started to see her best friend as a boy, and a cute one at that (although she supposes, in a scrawny kind of way).

Anyway, she's way past that crush, and any feelings she has for him are now transformed into anger and bitterness.

For the first time, she actually sits beside Percy in their mythology class. Interestingly, few of their classmates are surprised. "You ready for later?" she asks.

"I think so." He turns to her. "Do you think we should have pet names?"

Pet names sound like a bit of a stretch. She doesn't really understand why people prefer to be called babe, sweetie, and other cutesy stuff which sound like overripe fruit. "Nah. I don't do pet names. Besides, it seems a little awkward to do that."

"Sure."

Annabeth turns back to her desk and picks up her book. Time shouldn't be wasted doing idle things when she can opt to spend it on productive activities.

"Hey, Annabeth?" she hears him ask, and her gaze shifts from the book to him. "Yeah?"

"You should wear your hair down more," Percy says. He grins at her, much like the boy she used to hang out with. "It makes you look like a princess."

She remembers hearing that same phrase ages ago when a little kid of ebony hair runs up to her on the swings and tugs at her curls.

" _Let go of my hair!" she tells at the boy._

 _The said boy, with green eyes alight with mischief, grins at her toothily. "You look like a princess."_

Against her will, her lips turn up into a smile. "Well done. You've earned yourself some brownie points," she says.

"Great!" He smirks at her. "Looks like you're not too hard to please."

"Oh, I'm hard to please, alright." Like a kid who opened her gifts early, she beams at him. "Seems like you've got yourself a challenge, Jackson."

"Huh, good thing I like challenges then."

* * *

Once the lunch bell rings, Annabeth is already walking down the hallways. Her last class before lunch ended early, so she's got quite a brief free period. Good thing when she finally reached the cafeteria, Percy is the only one around yet on the table.

"Remember the plan?" she asks once she's finally seated beside him. She lays her hand palms up on her thighs. "Don't forget to hold my hand."

Percy still looks a little uncomfortable, but he manages to hold her hand without flinching. "Yeah, I remember."

"Why is your hand so clammy?" she complains. She's not really fond of holding hands; that sort of thing just makes it difficult to move around knowing that you only have one hand that is free to use. Percy's sweaty hands don't really make it better.

He frowns at her. "I don't know. Better get used to it."

Just then, the rest of Percy's friends arrive at the table. Grover greets them first, "Hey!"

Piper smiles apologetically at her. "Sorry we got off on the wrong foot yesterday. We're just really shocked by the news. It's not like every day Percy suddenly gets a new girlfriend. Much more someone he used to fight with."

"It's fine. I understand your point," Annabeth says. She looks at Percy for a small smile and lightly squeezes his hand. "We're just glad that you accepted it."

Rachel looks at them skeptically, like she's nowhere near accepting it.

"Anyway," Piper clasps her hands, "Welcome to our little friendship circle. I'm Piper."

"I'm Jason," the blonde boy with glasses says as he extends his hand to her. "Grover," says a boy with the goatee.

"Hot Leo at your service," a scrawny boy with dark unruly curls exclaims with a wink.

"Hey," Rachel mutters under her breath.

"Now that we're all acquainted, I hope you don't mind us asking but how did you two get together?" Piper asks.

"Actually, it started in the pool. I was closing the pool when I saw her flailing on the water, and I just dived in after her. There was no question of whether we're friends or not," Percy says.

"And I realized that we aren't all that much different and that he doesn't suck so bad as I used to believe. We sort of had a long talk after that," Annabeth adds. "And a dinner, then we exchanged numbers. We decided to keep it low since we're not entirely sure where this will go."

"Up until we agreed to be official," Percy finishes with a small smile.

Grover, Jason and Leo nod like they're now agreeing with the story. Rachel just sort of raises her brows in the story, like she's not sure whether to believe it or not. Piper just smirks, like she's up to something really interesting. Or trouble.

"Great! How would you like to go on a double date with Jason and I this Saturday?" she asks.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the late update! My writing time got held up since I binged watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and I'm still caught in the cuteness that is Jake and Amy. Anyway, sorry for this crappy chapter, I didn't really liked how this turned out.

Also, my classes start next week, so this might be the last regular update for now. I will try to write if I have the free time, or if I really get motivated to write the chapter.

I'd also like to thank _Mehria, Alexxx100,_ and _audengraham_ for reviewing last chapter. Your thoughts mean so much to me.

Lastly, don't forget to review!


	8. viii Percy

_viii. Percy_

* * *

"We're screwed up," Percy mutters while running his hand through his hair.

"Right we are," Annabeth mumbles. She's leaning on the wall of the janitor's closer she pulled him to, right after their confrontation with his friends.

Confrontation. Sounds about right.

Once they've concocted a believable backstory, Percy had foolishly believed that it will be the end of their problems. That it would finally convince his unbelieving friends on his and Annabeth's fake dating ploy. But no. It had to be replaced with a bigger problem: a double date with Piper and Jason.

"Ugh. I can't believe this," he says. The absence of light makes it difficult for him to see Annabeth, but he assumes that she's frowning too. "Double date with them? Pshh. As far as I know, they haven't been dating until now. They just probably made that up."

"I get the feeling that they still don't believe us. They staged a fake dating of their own to observe our relationship. They want to catch us faking it," Annabeth concludes.

"That's what I think too." Percy sighs. He's just tired of lying to his friends. Should he just cancel this whole arrangement? "Do you think we can pull this off?"

Through the thin light coming from the door, he sees her shrug. "I don't know. Maybe. But they're certainly going to expect more from us."

"How much more?" he can't help but ask.

"Enough to get them off our backs," she answers. Annabeth removes herself from the wall and tugs his hand. "C'mon. We can't be late. I don't want to get caught in the closet while classes are going on."

"Or you just don't want to get caught in the janitor's closet with me?"

"I don't want to be caught in a closet at all, thank you very much."

"Why? Cause it would tarnish your good girl reputation?" Even through the darkness, he can feel the heat of her glare. That's just how powerful it is. "I mean, being caught in the closet would definitely seal us as a couple. Don't you think that will make things easier for us?" he says with a smirk.

"Shut up," she retorts and shoves him to the side. Annabeth quickly opens the closet door and steps out.

Then she freezes.

Deciding that going to class is the better thing to do, he pushes against the doors and Annabeth's body. His eyes find the shocked look of a girl from their mythology class. Juniper, if he'd remember correctly.

Annabeth starts waving her hands frantically. "I swear, it's not what you think—"

Juniper, bless her, starts blushing and nods her head. "Of-of course. I really didn't see you two coming out of the janitor's closet. I'm just a regular student passing by a regular closet without any activity happening inside it at all." She gulps at the mortified look on Annabeth's face. It's so funny Percy wants to laugh, but he really doesn't want to invoke the blonde's anger upon him.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what I saw at all," Juniper mumbles before dashing out of the corridor.

"But nothing really happened...," Annabeth argues weakly. Then she rounds up to him, poking his chest repeatedly. "You! Why didn't you deny it?"

He raises his hands defensively. "It's useless arguing about it. She saw what she saw. We can't do anything about that. Besides, Juniper is trustworthy. She won't just tell anyone."

"You better be right or else I'm gutting you like a fish," she says. "Ugh. All those years of building my reputation, and I'm reduced to a closet girl."

"With me," he adds. "That's a very important fact."

"Not really," Annabeth says as she rolls her eyes. Then she struts off, leaving him alone.

* * *

"You're late," is what Annabeth says the moment he enters the diner.

To be fair, it's not like he wanted to be late on purpose. It just so happened that the diner is a little harder to find than what he initially thought. It's basically a hole in the wall, with its faded brick walls and warm atmosphere.

Percy sits across her. "This place is hard to find."

She smiles. "Can't have them spying on us."

"How did you come across this place anyway?"

"I was having a bad day then. I took off and walked aimlessly. And then I saw this. This has been my safe haven after that."

"Thanks for trusting me with this," he says with a smile.

"I don't really trust you. More like, I'm forced to trust you."

"Way to hurt my feelings, Chase." He makes a choking motion and pretends to hold his heart in his fist. He holds up his palm. "Look at my heart, it's all broken."

Annabeth makes a stabbing motion at his heart. "Oh no! I hope it's dead."

"Why you cruel girl."

"And you're a clueless boy who can't keep track of time."

"You're mean," Percy says while clucking his tongue. "Really mean."

"At least I can flirt," she teases.

"That's a low blow."

A waitress skips towards the table. Her dark brown hair is pulled into a high ponytail. And she looks regally bored as ever. Her name tag reads "Reyna".

"Welcome to CC's diner. How can I help you?" She recites in monotone as she hands them the menu.

"I'll have my regular," Annabeth says without looking at the menu.

"I'll have, um, a large fries and a guinea burger? Wait, is this made from a guinea pig meat?" He looks up questioningly at Reyna. The girl doesn't spare him a glance. "Who's this?" she asks Annabeth.

"That's Percy. My boyfriend."

Reyna's eyes peruse him like a scientist observing a rare species. Then she shrugs, unfazed. "He doesn't look like your type."

"Um," Percy interrupts. " _He's_ just right in front of you."

"Guinea burger is not made from guinea pig meat. The burger is just shaped like one," Reyna answers to his previous question. "Now, will you order it?"

"Ah, I guess."

"Good." Reyna scribbles something on her note and then she skates off.

He faces Annabeth. "I didn't know we're still pretending here."

The blonde just raises her eyebrows. "Reyna goes to go to Goode."

"Oh." He hasn't seen her before. "Why are we here anyway?"

"I need to know how you will do on your first date before going on a double date with Piper and Jason. She pauses and looks at him. "This is your first date, right?"

He blushes at the question. So, he might not be the best guy around the dating department (and probably the only one in their school who is yet to go on a first date) that's why the question makes him extremely embarrassed.

"So that's a yes?" Annabeth asks as she gestures to his blushing face. He nods. "Don't worry, everyone is awkward in their first date."

This catches his attention. "You? Awkward? No way."

She laughs at the disbelieving look on his face. "Yes, I was. Remember 7th grade when I still had my braces? That's how awkward I was."

He grins at the thought. She had really been awkward then, especially around the girls their age who were more flawless and more feminine. Her insecurity is the one thing he's glad she had left.

"Who's your first date?" he asks out of curiosity.

The smile on her face slips a little. She shakes her head. "It doesn't matter. You don't need to know who he is."

Something feels off, like she knows he knows the guy, but isn't willing to tell him who. Nevertheless, he respects her privacy. "Okay."

Reyna interrupts them as she brings their order while skating. He doesn't really know how she can manage to do that without spilling anything or bumping into a table at all. If that was him, he'd surely broken a bone or two as soon as he starts. Balancing is really not his thing.

Reyna places the food on their table, including a chocolate smoothie with two straws that he's sure they didn't order.

"Um," Percy begins but interrupted by Reyna's stare.

"It's on the house. Hylla says that it should make things exciting for your date."

Annabeth frowns. "I don't really know how sharing a smoothie will make things exciting, but give Hylla my thanks."

"Sure," Reyna says before skating to another booth.

"You surely have been on this place a lot," Percy comments as he unwraps his burger. "Oh! It really does look like a guinea pig." He looks at her food. "Why does yours look like a Parthenon of fries?"

"What can you do, I love architecture." Annabeth dips a fry into the smoothie and eats it. She grins. "Best trick in the book."

A chuckle bubbles in his throat. Despite all their ridiculous fights, he never ceases to find her amusing. "I think everyone knows that trick."

"What? No."

"Really."

"I'm not believing you."

"Fine. But you should know that you're not the first one to do—ow. Why would you throw a fry at me?"

"Shut up."

"But it's true!"

She throws another fry at him, but this time, he manages to catch it in his mouth. A wide grin splits his face.

"Would you look at that? I have extremely good reflexes," Percy says as chews the fry. He beckons to her. "Throw another one at me."

She throws him another one, and he catches it again. Percy mimics a bow at her like he's a magician who just finished performing his tricks in front of the crowd. "Bet you couldn't do that," he taunts with a smirk.

If he still knows her well, he can perfectly predict what she'll do next. Her thirst for competitiveness is always a blow he'd like to strike whenever the opportunity presents itself. And just as he thought, she sits up straight, her eyes shining with a challenging glint. "I really can."

He raises his eyebrow, disbelieving. "Really?"

"Yes." She inches the fries closer to him. "Try me. "

He throws her one but it just lands on the empty space beside her.

"That was just a warm-up," she explains. "Another."

Percy gives her another and another and another. And she missed every single one. The closest she got to catching it was when it hit her nose and slid down the inside of her shirt.

"Ew," he says.

She just rolls her eyes and sticks her hand inside her shirt to get the fry. An old lady happens to glance at her and looks away, scandalized.

He bends over their table laughing. "Look at what you did to that old woman."

Annabeth's leg delivers a swift kick to his legs. There's a fierce look on her face, but it's betrayed by the chuckle that escapes her mouth. "It's not my fault, you Seaweed Brain!"

The smile on his face grows. "You know, you should be wiser than to rise up to my taunts, Wise Girl."

The bright grin she sends him when she hears that old nickname makes it worth it. "You're crazy," she says.

"Crazy in love with you," Percy retorts with a wink. Annabeth raises one eyebrow at him.

And then he slams his palms on the table. "See?! That's how you flirt! Was I good? Did I earn cookie points? Did I pass the test?"

"That's pathetic," Reyna quips as she cleans the booth next to them.

"First of all, no. Don't ever repeat that to any girl ever again because that sucks. You did not earn cookie points. And you still haven't passed the test." Annabeth sips at smoothie. "Where did you pick that up?"

"A wikihow blog."

"Ah, that's why."

"Listen, wait I've got more." He brings out his phone.

"No more please."

He looks at Annabeth confidently. "Are you a water?"

"Ooh. I want to hear this." Reyna stops cleaning and stands by their booth.

"No. I'm not a water."

"Ask why."

She huffs. "Why?"

"Because you make me wet. Oh, wait—that's wrong! That's not it! Hey! Hey, stop laughing!"

Reyna laughs so hard, she doubles over. Annabeth facepalms, but there's a smile behind her hand.

Percy just groans in mortification.

 _Ah. So much for a first date._

* * *

A/N: Hello! Here's a quick update for now. This is just a filler chapter, as you may have noticed. I know this is shorter than usual but I hope you liked it. And just because I can't resist, I hope you noticed that little B99 reference.

Tbh, this should've been up days ago, but I haven't had the time (classes suck!) to type the whole chapter so I had to use a speech to text program.

Also, thank you to **The Edgy HalOUrious Loser, AnnabethGinevraJacksonPotter, Alexxx100, FutureFamousAuthor108, Multi-Fandomz-Fangirl, johncahill, and guest** for reviewing last chapter. Your reviews made it so much easier to write this chapter.

Hopefully the next chapter won't take too long, but I still doesn't have a draft, so good luck to me. Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, so leave a review!

Lastly, if you want to see some fanarts or ask me some random questions, feel free to follow me on tumblr at: thisisawesomeness1825


	9. ix Piper and Annabeth

_ix. Piper_

* * *

Piper thought planning a date was easy. After all, it shouldn't be so planned and structured so as to erase any sense of spontaneity and make it dull and boring. It needs an element of surprise and a lot of impromptu lines and actions.

And she knows she breathes 'spontaneous'. So, there's really nothing to worry about.

Ha. Right.

As it turns out, Jason doesn't do spontaneous. He needs a plan; a well-structured outline to help him navigate his way to this 'double date thing'.

"We need a plan," Jason said as they walked down the hall to their next class.

Thinking that he was joking, she just shrugged carelessly. "Maybe we can just wing it."

"Uh, no. We can't just wing it," he protests. "What if we slipped and they saw right through us? Percy would feel so betrayed."

"We're doing this for his sake, he'll understand."

"But what if Annabeth figures us out? You know she's scary when she's mad. I don't want her rage on me."

Piper stopped walking and placed a hand on his mouth. "You're just overthinking this, Jason. Just act like yourself and be charming."

Red crept up to his cheeks. It's a good color on him. "Be charming, right. But the plan—I'll make one just in case."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Thanks, Pipes. And for the record, planning doesn't help me sleep. A good plan does."

"Yeah, yeah, big nerd."

 _5 hours later (2:07 am)_

Piper: jASON hELP

Piper: HELP

Piper: youre right,,we need a plan

Piper: aRE YOU EVEN AWAKE/

Jason: I'm not.

Jason: Ha! So you finally admit we need a plan.

Piper: whatever,, tell me ur plan now, NOW

Jason: But it's too long to type in here.

Piper: ill call u

Piper: ALSO, sTOP typing properly, its just a text

Jason: I can't. It makes me cringe.

Piper: u make me cRINGE

* * *

 _Annabeth_

"It's after school right?" Annabeth asks Percy, as she plops down on the seat next to him. She had already moved from her previous seat to this one, after realizing the benefit of being able to plan quickly for their ploy.

"Yep. Also, no need to dress fancy. It's just in this small diner downtown," he answers. He's wearing a good jeans and shirt combo today, which admittedly, brings out some of his good features.

"Right. They're never gonna back down, huh?"

He shakes his head with a frown. "I don't think so. When Piper has an idea, she tends to do it all the way."

"Guess we just have to brave their questions later. Don't act awkward."

"You too."

The hours pass by quickly, and before Annabeth knows it, she's already packing her things inside her bag. Her classmates dash around her, eager to get out of the classroom. Once the room clears out, a girl sitting a few rows behind her calls out, "Annabeth! Your boyfriend is waiting outside."

True to her word, she immediately sees him slouching on the wall of the corridor. Percy sends a sheepish smile towards her. "Hey. Thought I'd pick you up."

"Nice of you to think that."

"Did that earned me some boyfriend points?"

"Hmm. You have to do better than that," she says with a smirk.

"Eh, I think I did a nice job."

They walk quickly towards a brightly lit diner down by the road. The blinking red lights and the light jazz music playing in the background makes the place more inviting. They easily spot Piper and Jason on one of the booths beside the window.

Annabeth's hand darts toward Percy's, and surprisingly, he doesn't flinch.

He squeezes her hand. "Let's do this."

As they enter the diner, warmth immediately floods her senses. It's even more inviting inside, and she thinks that it might not be the worst date after all.

"Hey, guys! Over here!" Piper exclaims as she waves her arm in the air.

A wide smile quickly breaks onto Percy's face as he throws an arm to both Piper and Jason. "Hey. Who'd thought you two would be _dating_ , huh?" he says teasingly, and he winks at Annabeth. _What a kid,_ she thinks as she almost rolls her eyes, but decides to play along.

"Yeah. It was really a _surprise_. When did that happen?" Annabeth asks.

Piper shrugs and smiles slyly. "About the same time you guys _suddenly_ got together. What a coincidence, huh?"

"A coincidence," Annabeth repeats and lifts an eyebrow. "Right."

"Maybe there's just a weird virus spreading inside the school sending love vibes everywhere. That's why everyone is suddenly getting together," Jason adds. "Who knows? Just a thought."

"You're probably right," Percy says. Jason high-fives him. "But I really think we should order now. My stomach is already complaining."

"Your stomach is always complaining," Annabeth adds, playfully, and she tilts her head in a way that signals, 'you should get along'. Thankfully, Percy takes the hint.

"You know me too well," he replies. He holds her hand above the table. Piper visibly frowns at this.

A waitress quickly takes their orders, and after that, Piper leans towards their booth with a new gleam in her multi-colored eyes. Like she's up to something really interesting. Or creepy, depends on how you look at it.

Annabeth doesn't like that gleam one bit.

"So," Piper starts, and she smiles at Annabeth a bit ruefully. "You and Percy are certainly an odd couple. Previously sworn enemies and now, lovers? That's a bit like a romance book story."

Jason nods his head like Piper made a good point. "I agree."

"We didn't really looked at it that way. But I suppose it shouldn't be too bad. We certainly got our happy ending," she smiles at Percy, and shrugs her shoulders at Piper.

"But it is an overused plot! It's really sketchy," Piper argues.

"Aren't you and Jason also a typical friends to lovers story?"

"Right," Percy agrees. "That's also sketchy. Also, you still haven't told me how you guys got together. I wanna know the story. Spill the beans."

Jason's eyes widen, like he doesn't expect the question. He turns to Piper with a desperate look in his eyes.

"Well, you see," Piper begins, "it's not that hard to believe at all. Considering we were friends first before we started dating, we've had a lot of time to know each other better. And I think because of that, that we were able to see each other differently, that we began to think if we could have something more. And we did just that."

Jason clears his throat.

"As for the story, uh, it may come off as a surprise, but I've already liked Piper for a long time. Whether it's just admiring her effortless beauty or her very engaging and charming personality, I've always liked her. But spending more time with her as friends did certainly help these feelings grow bigger," Jason says.

He turns to Piper with red cheeks and a nervous smile. "Also, I've been planning to ask you for some time now, but hearing that Percy and Annabeth got together gave me some courage to do it sooner. And here we are."

Piper, for all her smirks and sly looks, blushes a deep shade of cherry, like she didn't expect to hear the words from Jason. "Yeah, here we are."

For two people who are supposedly _faking_ it, Piper's and Jason's reactions are surely nothing short of genuine. Annabeth briefly wonders if they weren't faking it at all, and whether they are just honestly concerned for Percy's well-being.

Piper briefly shakes her head as if to get rid of the emotions, and turns to her with a bright smile. "Anyway, enough about us. I want to know the reason why you like Percy. Other than he saves you like a knight in shining speedos."

"I was not wearing speedos that time!" Percy protests.

At that, Annabeth struggles to form a response. Piper and Jason sounded honest with their answers, and she wants to convince them too. She quickly scans her mind for reasons why she had been best friends with Percy in the first place.

"He's, uh," Annabeth starts as she fiddles with her fingers. She avoids looking at Percy and his friends, instead, she keeps her eyes down. "He's a very loyal person. He's also fiercely protective of his friends, especially those people who matter to him. Sally, especially. But more than that, what I admire about him is that he's willing to sacrifice a part of himself if that will make someone happy. I think that speaks so much about how he is in general. Of course, there are still a lot of his admirable qualities, but that's what I can think at the top of my head."

She glances up to Piper and Jason's stunned looks. A deep shade of red colors her cheeks. "I'm sorry, did I say too much?"

She still doesn't look at Percy, but she can feel the heat of his gaze piercing right through her. She knew she had said too much.

Piper looks at her in amazement. "I didn't think you knew each other for that long. I thought you were just—I don't know—enemies."

"But that's because we were friends first before all of these," Annabeth says without thinking.

"Even before you two were clawing at each other's throats?"

"Yes."

If possible, their eyes widen further. Jason looks confused as he looks at Percy. "But you never told us any of these."

"I didn't think it was that important," Percy says. Now that she looks at him, she notices that he doesn't try to meet her eyes.

"Yeah, but you could've just mentioned it, and that would've helped," Jason continues.

"I didn't see it as important then, I don't see any reason why it should matter now," Percy snaps.

Before Piper can comprehend what she's asking, she's already opened her mouth. "But if you two were friends before, why did you stop?"

At this, Percy turns to Annabeth with an almost smug glare. She doesn't like this turn of events. "I don't know. Why don't you ask _her_?"

Annabeth matches his glare. "Excuse me?"

Piper, Jason, and the people inside the diner fade into the background as her anger singles out Percy; whose green, green eyes are so kind she never knew he was capable of such anger and resentment. A part of her subconscious knows that she had a hand on what he feels now, but the bigger and more selfish part of her wants to keep denying it.

"After all, if you thought so highly of me as you say now, you wouldn't have left me, right?" Percy says, venomously.

"If this was still about what happened four years ago—"

"You know everything was about that!"

Annabeth inhales sharply, knowing too well what he was referring about. "That was a hard year for me, Percy. I never planned to leave. My mother—"

"And here she goes again. Yeah, your mother as always. Stop making excuses like—"

Annabeth didn't hear the rest of what he's going to say after her palm had connected with his cheek.

He looks stunned, like he never really expected her to slap him; to be honest, she wasn't expecting it either. But now that she did, she just wants nothing but to drown in shame.

"I need to go," she whispers, before dashing out of the restaurant into the hard pouring rain.

* * *

A/N: I know this is short. And I'm sorry this is super late, but I just really needed to finish that one heck of a term. I'm just now waiting for my grades to be released, and so far, I think I'm doing well. Anyway, sorry for this really crappy chapter. I know it sucks. This might not be the ideal double date you've been waiting for, but this scene had to happen for the next chapter to progress.

Also, I'd like to thank everyone who are still reading this despite the long months of inactivity. Thank you for being patient enough to wait for me. Now that I'm on a break, chapters will be posted more frequently as compared to the last three months of no new chapters. As to how frequent, I still don't know. But definitely better than last time.

Thanks again and bye!


	10. x Percy and Annabeth

_x. Percy_

* * *

Shit.

That's the only word Percy can come up with when he remembers the supposed double date he has with Piper and Jason. Shit, because he screwed up the whole thing. And chances are, he blew up the only chance of convincing everybody with his and Annabeth's relationship.

And that's another thing: Annabeth.

Everything had been running smoothly up until he snapped at her because apparently, he's still very bitter about what happened four years ago. And she wasn't even talking about that! He basically put her on the spotlight and gave no chance of hearing her side. Now, she had stormed out and is undoubtedly shouting curses at him.

 _God_. He's really a douche.

Moments after she slapped him and ran away, his mind cleared of anger and he immediately felt shame like a cold water had been dumped on his head. He can't look at his friends for he feared that he'll break down and feel sorrier for himself.

"Oh no, you guys didn't just break up because of us, did you?" Piper asks, a definite horror on her voice.

If he's still mad, he'll most likely snap at her; but at this point, he's just tired and ashamed that he lost control of himself. He's angry and bitter at Annabeth yes, but she didn't deserve to be humiliated in front of his friends. Besides, there's a proper place and time to acknowledge and talk about everything in between.

"I don't know," he answered, unsure.

"You don't think you should follow her?" Jason asked.

"It's best to leave Annabeth when she's mad."

At this, Piper seemed to shrink more in her place. Her eyes screamed guilt. "Percy, I'm so sorry. If I knew how this would turn out, I never would've forced you guys to come here."

He waved her off. "It's fine. I'm sorry but I also have to go."

Even though it's already been two days since that incident (Saturday and Sunday, where he spent most of his time mulling over the events leading to the disaster). His gloomy mood apparently haven't escaped his mom's worried eyes.

"Are you okay, Percy? Something you want to talk about?" Sally, his mom, asked.

"I'm fine," he said through muffled voice. He's lying face down on the couch, his face covered by a pillow. Sally raised her eyebrows at him.

"Fine, it's just...uh, girl troubles."

"Girl troubles? I never knew you had a girlfriend."

Shoot. He forgot that he hadn't told his mom about Annabeth yet. To be fair, he never really wanted to add his mom to this dating lie.

"It's, um, it's just recent," he answered evasively.

Sally looked at him, skeptically, but eventually resumed to sorting out the groceries. "What's her name then?"

He sunk further into the couch, pretending like he hadn't heard the question.

"Percy?"

"Uh. It's...Annabeth."

Sally froze midway, and turned to look at him with wide eyes. "Annabeth? Do you mean Annabeth Chase?"

"Yes."

"The same person as our old neighbor and your best friend Annabeth?"

"Yes mom. It's the same Annabeth we both know."

Sally looked contemplative for a moment, but then she shrugged carelessly and smiled. "Huh. Can't say I didn't see that coming."

"Really? You aren't mad?" Percy asked.

"Why would I be? I'm just glad you guys got together. It's really bound to happen at some point," Sally said. "Anyway, I think you'd both overcome whatever this challenge is just fine; you'd just have to give each other a time to think."

"I don't think she'd even want to talk to me."

His mom sent a curious look at him. "What did you even do?"

"It's just—I've said something that made her mad. And then she stormed off." He left the part where she actually slapped him; he really didn't want his mom prodding further if she knew that.

"I'm sure a few days off can cool down that anger. And then apologize."

"Okay, I'll do that. Thanks mom."

* * *

On Monday, he's more composed than last time, but Annabeth still hasn't glanced his way yet. He stared at her for the whole Mythology class, but it's either she didn't feel his gaze or she's just purposely avoiding him.

His brain thinks that it's the latter.

During lunch, his friends are more somber; and they didn't ask questions on why his eyes keep darting towards the cafeteria doors. Though Piper did ask quietly, "Have you talked to her yet?"

He shakes his head. "Probably tomorrow."

Piper nods and squeezes his arm. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get past this."

Some part of him thinks that 'hey, it seems Piper is now on the ride on believing them', and the other part of him wonders whether he should continue with this thing. After all, Annabeth doesn't look like she wants to be around him anymore. And really, who was he to expect that after all of these, Rachel will suddenly take an interest in him. He should just save himself the trouble and tell the truth to his friends.

But no. Because for one, he isn't a quitter, and a minor disagreement won't deter him from seeing this plan to its end. Second, because he sort of told his mom about it. And third, because if this was the chance for him to clear things out with Annabeth, then he will gladly do it. It feels nice not to constantly hate someone, and knowing that he could possibly be friends with her again is already a reward on its own.

Now, he just needs to convince Annabeth that this will be worth it.

* * *

 _Annabeth_

For once, Annabeth isn't feeling mad at Percy. She was initially mad, yes, but as she thought about it, her feelings gravitated towards disappointment more than anything. Disappointment because they were so close to convincing Piper and Jason, but ended up ruining the whole thing. Disappointment because instead of talking it out like real rational adults (okay, teenagers), they acted out immaturely and ended up hurting each other.

As much as she wants to blame him, she'd also helped stir the tension between them. If she'd just been more levelheaded, they could've avoided the entire problem from happening. But that's already past them, and now she didn't know how to move forward.

Is the fake dating thing still on? Or is that fight constitutes their fake break up?

She gets her answer the next morning while she's preparing for school. She's prepared herself for an awkward breakfast (as it always is whenever her dad actually manages to tear himself from his work) after she finished dressing up. She's currently sat across the twins, munching silently on her toast and orange juice, all the while pretending that she's actually part of the family breakfast, and not just the awkward first child from the first wife.

The doorbell rings, and weirdly enough, Fredrick actually stands up and checks the door. Annabeth pays no attention to it; after all, it's probably just some neighbor complaining about the trash or something.

She's startled, however, when her dad actually turns to look at her. He looks awkward and partly curious as he gazes at her. "Annabeth?" he calls.

"Yeah?"

"There's a boy looking for you."

"A boy?" she asks. Her stepmother, for once, actually chances a glance at her. Then her eyes quickly flit back to the twins.

"If I'm not mistaken, I think it's Percy Jackson," Fredrick says. "Should I send him away?"

 _Percy? What is he doing here?_

"Uh, no." She stands up and puts her plate on the sink. "I'll go talk to him."

Her dad is still lingering at the doorway once she spots Percy standing awkwardly outside. Fredrick looks at both them, and he flickers his fingers between Percy and Annabeth. "Are you two...um, dating?"

There's a moment of silence where neither them know what to say until Percy lets out a squeaky 'yes'.

"Oh. Good." Fredrick raises his glasses along his nose. "I'm glad it's you. You're a good man, Percy."

"Uh, thanks Mr. Chase."

Fredrick looks uncomfortable for a moment, like he'd rather be in any place other than this. He clears his throat. "Also, um, don't rush into things. Be safe."

Her cheeks redden and she bets Percy's face is flaming too. She gestures outside. "Right, Dad. Um, we're just going to talk over there."

"Okay. Sure." Then, he turns back and heads inside.

"That was...awkward," Percy mutters quietly.

"Good thing he didn't follow it up with a long talk about the birds and the bees."

"That would be mortifying."

She hides back a smile. She turns to Percy questioningly. "So, what brings you here?"

The boy starts fidgeting under her gaze, and he nervously runs a hand through his hair. "So, listen. I know we hadn't left things in a good place, and I want to let you know that I'm really sorry for everything I said back there. It was really out of the line and was just plain rude. I shouldn't have pressured you to talk about it in front of my friends; we really could've talked about it some other time. Also, I'm sorry for snapping at you. You didn't deserve it."

There's a brief moment where she doesn't respond, and she knows Percy waits with bated breath until she nods and shrugs casually. He sighs in relief.

Annabeth takes in a deep breath and fiddles with her fingers. "Okay. Apology accepted. I-I also want to apologize for slapping you at the diner. It wasn't my intention to hurt you, and it just happened so sudden that I hadn't had enough time to, well, think about my action. I guess I just got, y'know, fired up with everything."

"And I'm really sorry for that. I honestly don't know why I said everything that I said."

She chooses to ignore that. Annabeth knows why, and she knows he knows too. But they're still treading on new waters after building a bridge of temporary truce, so that topic will have to be addressed sometime later. Preferably when they are already knee-deep into this mess.

Percy holds up his pinky to her with a smile. "Truce?"

"Truce," she repeats, as her pinky hooks into his and tugs. "So we're still doing it?" she asks.

"I hope. Although I understand if you don't want to, knowing everything that I'd dragged you into. But I really hope you'll give me a second chance. I swear I'll be reading and doing all the notes you'll be giving me. I'd even advanced study!"

"You never advanced study," she comments lightly.

"But now I'll try. I'll be the best fake boyfriend understudy." Then he pulls that wide look with a matching pout that vaguely resembles a cute baby seal. One that she knows hasn't lost a favor in his way.

"You know that's cheating right?"

"Anything to win you over."

She shrugs nonchalantly, but there's a smile pulling at her lips. "Okay then. Let's date."

"Really? That's it?"

"You want me to make it harder?"

"No. I just—I never expected it to be this easy, especially after, y'know, the diner fiasco. But this is great," Percy says as he smiles at her. "More than great, actually."

Annabeth nods. "Yeah, well, I can't deny that I was mad at you at first. But that just transformed into disappointment since we both acted like a child instead of handling it like an adult."

She waves her hand dismissively and turns to him. "Anyways, enough of that. Is this the only reason you came to see me this morning? At my house no less?"

For the second time this morning, Percy blushes. "Uh, I was thinking that maybe we can walk to school together?"

There's no word to describe the look in her face other than incredulous. "Why?"

If possible, his cheeks redden even further. It's a weird shade, especially with his tan skin. "It's just that, I've frequently seen couples do this, and I wanted to show you that I'll really bring my A-game here."

"That's really nice, but walking can take up 45 minutes."

"Oh. I...forgot to factor that," he says slowly. "So, no to walking then?"

She shakes her head.

"Bus?"

"Let's just take my car."

"Good idea."

* * *

The ride towards Goode took only about 15 minutes, which left them a couple of minutes of free time before the first period.

Interestingly though, the car ride was far from what she expected. While she readied herself for a tense silence, especially after what happened at the diner, she's surprised that it's been filled with small talks that did not feel awkward at all. Maybe, it's because of their temporary truce; that they had promised to sort out through their mess when the right time comes. Maybe, it's the acknowledgment that even though they had a rough patch, they're still willing to move past that and work with each other.

Whatever may that be, she's glad for it.

* * *

A/N: So, this was pretty okay-ish chapter and still short. I really have no intention to drag out the fight, I just need Percy to realize a few things.

Sorry for taking a bit long to finish this chapter. To be honest, I was three-fourths done when my creative juices left me, so I couldn't wrap up this chapter. Also, I've binge watch an anime and read A Court of Mist and Fury, which took up a lot of my time.

Anyways, enough of that and see you next chapter! Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review!

p.s. special thanks to FutureFamousAuthor108, A very obsessed fangirl, Wonderland A.K.A. Cay-Cay, StormOfWolves, jd0291012, violet2971, Not So Cliche, Anonymously96, and the guests.


	11. xi Piper and Annabeth

_xi. Piper and Annabeth_

* * *

 _Piper_

Guilt is such a sad feeling, Piper thinks, as she watches Percy make sad glances towards the cafeteria doors, like he's half-expecting Annabeth will magically appear and smile at him. To be fair, Piper had only meant to keep Percy safe and away from harm (the blonde's name is literally a red warning in itself). But all Piper did was to worsen the situation, and possibly cause the break-up of a probable genuine relationship of one of her closest friends. So of course, Piper feels guilty.

"Do you really think they'd break up?" Piper asks their group, once Percy has left for class.

"Break up only happens when they're together in the first place," Rachel comments. "It's probably just a fraud."

"I don't know, but Percy seemed really sad."

"He's probably just good in acting," Grover comments sheepishly. "Or probably not."

"But what if they're really together?" Piper says. "I'm feeling loads of guilt now. Percy has been uncharacteristically quiet this morning."

"Maybe it's a facade. You said so that they looked awkward during the dinner," Leo says.

Jason shrugs. "They looked pretty genuine to me."

"Speaking of genuine," Grover tries to say while munching on an enchilada. "Juniper saw them together."

"Who?"

"Percy and you-know-who, duh." Grover takes a big sip of his milkshake. "She said she saw them getting out of the janitor's closet. Looking flustered."

Both Rachel's and Jason's eyes widen—totally not expecting such a turnaround of events. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, I know! I didn't believed it at first because it was really unlike Perce, but I think Juniper is honest, I swear. You-know-who even told her not to tell anyone about it, but apparently, she trusts me."

"Well, she's not gonna trust you now," Rachel comments as she turns back to her food.

"Oooh!" Leo exclaims and wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. "Look who's now getting some."

Piper shakes her head exasperated. "Can we stop referring to Annabeth as 'you-know-who'? She has a name and it will not kill you to say it."

"Uh-uh, it totally can," Grover supplies.

Piper glares at him. "Not helping, Grover."

"Maybe we should just wait it out," Jason says. "I mean, if we do something now, we might make it worse. Let's just wait for Percy to come to us if he wants to say anything about it."

"That's sensible," Rachel comments.

"That's actually a smart idea, Jason," Piper says. The blonde slinks back to his seat; cheeks flushed. "I'm glad at least one of us makes sense."

* * *

 _Annabeth_

True to his word, Percy does try his best. If during the first few days of their fake dating, he's been nothing but an awkward and a blushing mess, he's certainly showing up a new side of him. A side that's probably more confident and well, more _boyfriend material._

Not that she's swooning or anything (nothing can make her swoon, ever), but Percy looks more put together now. He no longer flinches when they hold hands, and now he's started initiating some changes to their fake relationship. One example is when he started coming over to her house in the mornings so they can carpool together to school ("Saving fuel is saving the environment, Annabeth. So, we're carpooling.") And just recently, he began walking with her to her classes like some dork (which earned amused glances from the students who were used to seeing them bicker like there's no tomorrow).

It first happened on the third day after they have both reconciled and declared a temporary truce. She's just finished putting her books and picking up her homework from her locker when Percy sidled up on the locker next to her.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey yourself," she replied, and turned to look at him. They were certainly doing better now compared to last time when they were still fighting like they were in a screaming match. And while they have adjusted to each other enough to tell knock-knock jokes (like acquaintances, not friends), there are still some lulls of silence when they have both nothing and too much to say.

Her reply drew a chuckle out of him. "Are you finished arranging your books for the day?" he asked.

"Yep. Unlike you, I suppose."

Percy crossed his arms in front of him. "Oh, I actually finished it awhile ago."

The thought was so absurd she actually snorted. The sound made the end of his lips twitch, like he's trying his hard not to laugh. "Really? I'm debating whether to ask you how you did that, but I'm afraid I already have an idea."

He shrugs in his most carefree way. "Y'know, just dump some stuff and see if it fits. Bam!"

 _Still the good old Percy_. "I knew it was a crazy idea."

"Well, it works for me. Saves the time as well."

"For now," Annabeth commented. "That dump and bam thing you do? It will bite you in the ass sooner or later."

"Guess I just have to run fast so it can't _chase_ me," he said with a grin. She rolled her eyes. A few years older and he still hasn't gotten over that.

She scanned over the hallway and noticed that it's still pretty empty, save for a few students loitering around. Understandably so since they are always 20 minutes earlier than the rest of the school.

With eyebrows raised, she looks back at him. "Is that the only reason you came to bother me today?"

"Oh, that? I'm just waiting for you," he said casually.

"Waiting for me? Why?"

"So we can walk to class together."

His reply stopped her short. _What is he up to?_ "O...kay," she said slowly. "Where'd you get this idea?"

"Nothin' really."

"Really."

He rubs the back of his head sheepishly, like the next words are going to embarrass him for lifetime. "It's just I've always seen Beck and Silena walk together to their classes. And I think we could be a lot more convincing if we do the same? I mean, just the other day, Silena asked me why she has never seen us together. I have a feeling she's now getting suspicious," he whispered. "It's really scary."

She nodded. "We better not have the school gossip snooping on us."

"Right on that."

They now begin walking towards their first class, which is mythology. And even though they're not holding hands, they were still walking quite close together.

Percy said to her, "Besides, I figured it wouldn't be too bad. Standing this close to me? This is like every girl's dream."

"A nightmare you mean."

"A nightmare is when you don't get to spend time with me," he said with a cheeky grin.

Annabeth stopped and pretended to gag. "Gah, I think I'm choking."

"You're crazy."

"Says who."

He just smiled and kept his hands in his pockets. A moment later, he nodded to her shirt. "That shirt looks nice on you."

"What? This shirt?" she asked, as she looked down on the plain grey shirt she pulled this morning. She hadn't given thought much about it, seeing as she's in a rush earlier.

"Yeah. It brings out the grey in your eyes."

"Oh, thanks."

"But I'd rather you wear mine," he said.

Her world stopped. _That's just—_

That's just plain _bleh_. Probably the sorriest line he could ever think of (except for the 'you make me wet' one, nothing beats that _yet_ ). But one thing Annabeth is sure of, he better stop with those cringe-worthy lines.

After a beat, Percy turned to her, clearly bubbling with excitement. "So, how's about that for flirting?"

"That's the dumbest thing I've heard."

"But it was nicer than the last time!"

"Yep, because those pick-up lines don't deserve to exist."

He pouted at her in annoyance. "I don't know what kind of swords you eat for breakfast, because damn, those words are sharp."

"I'm not actually a sword person. I prefer knives."

"Yeah? Good thing you didn't ran out of murder weapons."

"Ha-ha-ha," she deadpanned.

"Ha-ha-ha."

Annabeth shoved him. "Shut up. You know what's a good idea? Burn those pick-up lines. They are an abomination."

"Yeah? And here I thought I was making progress," he said. "Until you so mercilessly pointed it out, you heartless woman."

"You're just a big baby." She turned to him with a smile. "But seriously, you're off to a good start. These things you're doing lately are good. And yeah, cool off with the lines."

"Oh, thanks." He grinned at her. "Wow, you're now warming up to me. Just a little more, and I'll make you swoon."

"Ugh. I take back everything that I said. You're horribly confident for you own good."

"No take backs!"

"Whatever."

So yeah, they'd already started carpooling to school, walking to classes together, and holding hands. It's not much, but they're getting close to convincing the normal people. The school gossip Silena had also stopped her questioning and she now just drones on how interesting their love story is (always quoting 'Romeo and Juliet', as if Annabeth wants to be associated with such tragedy). Anyway, despite going through a rough start, Annabeth thinks they're doing pretty good. They just have to keep the act until Percy improves enough to make Rachel notice him. Which will probably take some time (keeping him away from pick-up lines is battle she is yet to win). So yeah, Annabeth Chase is doing the world a favor by fake dating Percy Jackson (and saving them the trouble of hearing those pick-up lines).

* * *

 _A/N: SORRY! I know I was gone for a really long time (Just some Real Life problems I needed to fix) so I wasn't able to post an update. Anyway, I know it's not the usual chapter length but I'm stuck on how to go around with the next scene so I decided to just end it here. Just a filler chapter, but hopefully we'll start progressing into the plot real soon!_

 _Reviews are very much appreciated! Ciao!_


	12. xii Percy

_xii. Percy_

* * *

"Our coach said we don't have swim practice later," Percy says one morning as they drive their way to school. He's currently slouched in Annabeth's passenger seat, mindlessly scrolling through his phone.

Carpooling is a thing they do nowadays. Not only does it save fuel, but it stopped him from getting left by the bus almost every single time. Though he now has to pay half of his share of the fuel, which is kind of ughh but whatever. At least Mrs. Dodds has stopped giving him the stink eye every time he arrives to class.

The blonde doesn't even spare him a glance. "And how does this affects me?"

"Well, I realized I hadn't been holding up my end of the bargain," he begins, then gestures to her. "And you've already done plenty for me so it's time that I do my part."

"Which is?"

"Teaching you swim, duh. Did you get hit around the head lately, Chase?"

Annabeth scowls, and he narrowly misses the arm she swings at him. "I'm driving you to school so you don't get to be a smartass, Jackson."

Yeah, it's hard to piss off Annabeth when she's holding your life between her hands.

"Chill. I was thinking that maybe we can start later? Today's really the best time to do it since we currently don't have a lot of homework hanging over our heads," he says and stops to look at her. "Unless you do."

"I don't."

"So swim?"

Annabeth clears her throat. She keeps her eyes on the road, like she's trying to avoid his gaze or something. "Just to be clear, I'm not afraid of water or anything of the sort," she says in a voice that implies otherwise.

"Okay."

"I'm just—not good at swimming." She says it with a bit of quiver in her voice that doesn't escape Percy's notice. He knows there's probably more to it than she lets on, but he doesn't feel comfortable prying into her life. For sure, Annabeth will not like if he started asking questions, so he keeps his thoughts to himself.

"Alright."

Annabeth nods. "Okay, we can start later."

"Great." Then just to lift the stress off her shoulders, he starts fumbling with her car stereo. "D'you mind if I play this?"

She looks at him with eyebrows raised. "Didn't think you're the type to listen to music."

He shrugs. "I listen to a few, mostly from the radio. Staves off the boredom."

"Right. 'Cause you can't carry a tune to save yourself," she teases with a smirk.

"Like you're any better, Miss Hannah Montana." Annabeth groans shamefully, and Percy smiles to himself. He can't forget that Halloween Party where everybody in the suburb discovered that Annabeth Chase, dressed as Hannah Montana, was _painfully awful_ at singing. He'd been dressed as Aquaman (of course) then, and Annabeth had been this ballsy and shameless girl (a phase he knows she's trying to forget) who went up the stage and performed her rendition of The Climb. She won a 'At Least You Tried' award, and Percy had looked up to her ever since (evidently not because of her singing).

Annabeth sends him her fiercest glare. "Don't you ever bring that up again," she warns, but there's also a hint of a smile dancing on her lips.

Soon enough, after messing with the buttons, a recognizable pop song comes through the speakers. It's a Taylor Swift song, judging by the voice (and lyrics) though the title evades his memory.

"This is a Taylor Swift song, right?" Percy asks as he turns to her. She nods.

"Do you know this song?"

She shrugs and keeps her gaze on the wheel. "Style. From the 1989 Deluxe album."

He listens to the song for a few moments.

"Not a fan, but this one's nice," he comments. "Are you a Swiftie?"

"No," she says while shaking her head.

"Really?" Percy smiles to himself. "But I remember you singing to her songs before."

Annabeth shakes her head again, and he leaves it at that. But after a while, he sees her mouthing the lyrics to the song and bobbing her head a little.

A wide grin spreads on his face. "Oh my God, you're totally Swiftie!"

"What? No!"

"You seriously are," he points out, and a dark red blush spreads on her cheeks. "Your red face says otherwise."

"You're crazy."

"That's why you knew the song album!"

"Everybody knows that."

"Not me."

"That's because you don't listen to music."

"Hey, I actually do. Look, I'm not judging your music choices. Everybody has their own flavor. Her songs are fun, but they're not really my thing."

"Fun, huh?"

"Yeah, I mean, as long as you're not the subject of her lyrics or whatever. 'Cause it would be real sad to be part of a breakup song." He turns to her. "You ever sing a breakup song to your ex-boyfriends?"

She laughs and smacks him on the head. "No, you doofus."

"I bet you play her songs after every break up."

"Whatever."

* * *

"You gonna tell us something, Perce?" Jason begins, as he dumps his tray next to him, while Grover sits on the other side. The girls have a different lunchtime every Wednesday, so Percy only shares the table with Jason and Grover (and Leo, if he doesn't get sent to the Principal's office for causing a fire in the Science Lab again).

He continues munching on his nuggets, and takes a large bit of his burger. "Whut?"

"Something about...your girl?" Grover nudges his side playfully, causing him to choke on his food.

"Man, one of these days you're going to choke yourself over food," Jason says as he shakes his head at Percy, sympathetically. "Imagine: Percy Jackson, died of choking over a hamburger."

"That is sad," Grover supplies. "Death by a hamburger. _Very heroic_."

These are the times when Percy begins to wonder whether these two idiots are really his friends.

Thankfully, the burger slips down his throat. Good job, burger. Once he recovers, Percy throws a fry at Jason. It lands on his shirt. "I'm too strong for hamburgers."

"Hey! This was new!"

"That's what you get for ganging up on your friend!"

"Grover was part of it too!"

"Wait, not at my hair. Grease is hard to wash, y'know."

Just then, Leo-the-fire-boy plops down on their table. A smell of charred linen still clings to him, but since he's joining them today, Percy assumes he got his way out of it. If there's another thing Leo is very good at aside from starting fires at random places, it's his skill of making excuses.

"Looks like Percy the Lucky Boy is joining us today," Leo says as he takes out his lunchbox. The smell of freshly cooked _paella_ mixes with the air. Grover is nearly salivating. "C'mon, give us the deets."

"The deets to what?" Percy asks half-confused, and half-intrigued by Leo's lunch.

"Y'know. How you got lucky." Leo slings an arm to his back and pats his chest twice. It is very awkward. "I never really thought I'll say this, with your bad luck and all, but damn. You are my man, Perce."

Grover and Jason grins at him knowingly. He just looks at them, confused. "I...really don't know what you mean."

"Aw. Quit bluffing. Tell us. I will now be living vicariously through you while I'm still finding my girl."

"I honestly don't have any idea on what you're talking about."

"You and Annabeth. In the janitor's closet, duh," Leo finally says, and for a moment Percy is confused, until he finally remembers.

 _Deciding that going to class is the better thing to do, he pushes against the doors and Annabeth's body. His eyes find the shocked look of a girl from their mythology class. Juniper, if he'd remember correctly._

 _Annabeth starts waving her hands frantically. "I swear, it's not what you think—"_

 _Juniper, bless her, starts blushing and nods her head. "Of-of course. I really didn't see you two coming out of the janitor's closet. I'm just a regular student passing by a regular closet without any activity happening inside it at all." She gulps at the mortified look on Annabeth's face. It's so funny Percy wants to laugh, but he really doesn't want to invoke the blonde's anger upon him._

" _Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what I saw at all," Juniper mumbles before dashing out of the corridor._

Looking at it now, it seems that Juniper is not as trustworthy as she seems. And looking at the eager faces of his friends, they must have gotten the wrong impression about the closet incident too.

Now, as much as Percy would like to take this opportunity to convince them further, he knows Annabeth will not like it if he started feeding into the stories that are quite far-fetched from reality. And if there's one thing he's sure of, he really doesn't want to lie again to his friends, even if it is as simple as 'getting lucky' (which, looking back, is not really simple at all given his lack of experience with girls).

"You guys have the wrong idea," Percy says.

Grover looked confused. "But Juniper said—"

He swallows down his burger and takes a long sip of his soda, prepping himself up to explain the whole misconception to his friends. "Nothing happened in the closet. We just talked I swear. Juniper just happened to see us just as we were getting out. After talking," Percy emphasizes, when he sees the disbelieving looks on his friends' faces.

"That's all of it, I promise. Now, would you even believe that I can do that? I mean, _she's Annabeth_. And I'm just, well... _Percy._ "

Leo nods thoughtfully, like he hadn't considered that. "Well, you do have a point."

"But shouldn't you two be comfortable with each other now?" Jason asks. "You're dating, and no matter how out of your league she may seem, no matter how awful and unworthy you think about yourself, she still chose you. Doesn't that mean something at least?"

Percy, Leo and Grover all look at Jason, dumbfounded.

"Wow," Percy says and claps the blonde at the back. "You are something."

"Yeah, that was deep," Grover agrees. Jason blushes to the tips of his hair. "I was just stating a fact."

"It was a very nice fact," Leo says. "Where'd you get that?"

"Nothing. Just, from uh, movies?"

"Movies?" Leo repeats. Then he takes Jason's hands in his. "You have to tell us what you watch."

* * *

Okay, while he is not expecting a two-piece, he definitely does not expect Annabeth to come out of the dressing room wearing a t-shirt and spandex.

"Um, we're going to be swimming," Percy comments once the blonde nears him. He's lounging in pool, doing random swimming exercises as waited for her to come out.

"I know."

"And you're wearing a t-shirt."

She rolls her eyes at him. "If you're expecting that this practice is an excuse to see me in a two-piece, you couldn't have been more wrong."

"I wasn't thinking about that."

"Yeah, what could possibly a hormonal teenage guy like you think?"

"Dolphins. Blue Pepsi. Video games," he rattles off. "Not all of us think about girls you know."

"And I'm supposed to believe that you haven't thought about Rachel at all?"

Heat rises to his cheeks. "That's different."

"Really?" Annabeth smirks at him. "And you haven't thought about me at all?"

"Only in ways to piss you off."

In a swift movement, she throws him an inflatable duck. He manages to dodge it just in time.

"Hey, no littering in the pool."

"You're literally the only trash in the pool."

He shakes his head at her, then promptly notices the duck. A bewildered look fills his face. "You really brought an inflatable duck?"

In probably the first time in forever, Annabeth Chase blushes. It is so random that he almost loses his footing, and fortunately he's standing on the pool tiles so he doesn't splash around like an idiot. An idiot who just saw Annabeth blush.

What a weird day.

"I don't want to drown," is all she manages to say, in a timid voice, contrary to the confident and pretentious tone he usually hears.

And just then Percy realizes the power he has over her. He's practically a child of the water, while Annabeth barely knows anything about swimming. He can get back at her for all he wants, knowing that this area is his expertise. But no; his mother taught him to be better than that, taught him better than to play with other people's fears.

So he just smiles and extends his hands to her. "Don't worry, I won't let you drown."

She takes his hand. "Okay."

"Okay."

Then he splashes some water to her because who said he can't tease her a little?

"You're really a jackass," she says after he's done with his attack, but there's also a hint of smile on her face. She retaliates by throwing him another inflatable. This, successfully lands on his face.

"Ow."

"Serves you right."

* * *

 _A/N: An update? Not even a month has passed and there's already an update? Yeah, well I've been writing on a roll now since I just got a big break from everything. This is still a filler chapter, I know, but I want to establish the Percabeth banter first before throwing them new revelations (and partly because I'm still fixing the plot)._

 _Anyway, a very important examination result is going to be announced later (tonight) and I really really hope and pray that I will pass the exams. Passing the exams means happiness and more frequent chapter updates! Please pray for me!_

 _As always, this chapter is unedited so sorry for the mistakes you find. And reviews are always appreciated! I will try my best to reply to you all, except for anons, which I will try to address in Author's Notes. Thank you!_


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